Arrow 1. Hidden

Well this was certainly _not _going well for Felicity tonight. Gasping down deep breaths to try and aid the raging pain that was coursing over her left side. She had to try and hide her injury to the rest of the group and _they couldn't find out_, because then they would only see her as some weak, pathetic I.T girl that always sat behind the computers with that as her only use. Making her way down the stairs of the Foundry, she found it was completely empty. YES, so now she was alone and she could tend to her wound. Fingers crossed it wasn't infected or anything.

They had been on an undercover mission, Oliver and Digg were outside waiting in case something went wrong, Sara and Roy were amongst the crowd while Felicity had the task of getting to the main office and collecting the necessary information needed to bring Lawler to justice. Everything had been going smoothly until there had been a guard waiting outside the room Felicity was currently occupying. Without alerting the rest of the team, Felicity was able to take him down thanks to some self-defence moves Digg had taught her. However, she hadn't seen the knife swung at her until the last moment but she managed to prevent the knife from hitting her square in the face but he still managed to get her side, causing quite a deep gash running down her left side Although she wasn't fazed by it at first, she had felt something sticky, looking down to see her blouse slowly turning crimson red. Swaying slightly Felicity was able to make it back to the Foundry. How she was able to pull off a strong enough voice with her fading strength to the rest of her team over the comms was beyond her.

"Dammit" Felicity cursed when she peeled the material of her blouse away from her side. She had dressed it with gauze after putting in a few stitches, which she hated every second of, but it continued to bleed out a little.

"Felicity? Are you down here?" Oliver's sudden voice broke her out of her train of thoughts. Hurriedly tugging the hem of her hoodie down, which she threw on in case something like this would happen, she greeted Oliver but what she failed to notice was how pale she was.

"Felicity are you okay?" he asked curiously taking a couple of steps towards her before stopping short just in front of her.

"Yeah course I am, why do you ask?" Felicity asked, trying to mask the pain in her voice.

"Because you look quite pale" Oliver answered hesitantly. She knew he was getting too close to figuring out the truth. Making up a quick and realistic lie, Felicity tried to divert the conversation to another topic preferably one that would able her to leave quickly because right now she could feel her strength fading.

"Actually I'm feeling a little under the weather, I think I might just head home" Felicity said, praying he brought her act. She forgot to register just how weak she would be though. Standing, she moved towards the stairs but wasn't able to take another step because the world suddenly began to spin, making it impossible for her to stand up so the next minute she was collapsing. Some part of her brain heard Oliver yelling her name as he lunged forward, catching her _just _before her head smacked against the floor. As soon as she was in his arms her eyes snapped shut.

Shifting her body into his lap, he was startled when he felt a familiar sticky substance on his left hand, pulling back his eyes widened at the sight of blood coating his hand. Shouting her name again, his heart seized when he saw her eyes had closed; Oliver moved her hoodie to the side revealing the shocking site of a deep gash that looked like a knife-inflicted injury. It also revealed a gauze tapped over the wound, gently removing it he saw the temporary stitches Felicity put in to stop the blood. Acting on instinct, he cradled her against his chest before easily rising to his feet and moving to the med-bay. Connecting her to a heart monitor, just to give a peace of mind, Oliver cleaned her wound before stitching it up redoing all of Felicity's work then replacing the gauze. Within mere seconds, he came up with the obvious conclusion that she couldn't stay at the Foundry because it wasn't the best place to rest and heal. It got cold at night and truthfully it didn't feel that safe. He didn't want to take her back to the mansion because she'd be faced with too many questions so that left taking her home. Carefully scooping her up into his arms, Oliver made his way to the staircase.

This was when it got interesting because the only mode of transport that he had was his bike, he should've brought his car. Cautiously settling himself on the bike with Felicity cradled tightly to his chest with her head nested on his shoulder, Oliver accelerated, being careful not to jolt her injured form. To his advantage there wasn't any traffic, streets barely empty. Rapidly making his way to her house, Oliver stole a glance down at his I.T girl lying cuddled up unconscious against him. At that sight before him several feelings seemed to rise to the surface. Why didn't she let someone know that she was hurt? It hurt him in every way possible that he didn't know the answer to that question. A possessive feeling swamped him and Oliver found it hard trumping it back down again. Finally getting to her house, Oliver used the key she had given him and Diggle, in case of emergencies, to unlock the door. Getting Felicity settled comfortably in her bed was his first priority, next he would worry about the questions that followed. Tenderly placing Felicity in her bed he covered her with the bed sheets, tucking the duvet up right against her chin then permitted his mind to be flooded the picturesque scene in front of him. She looked stunning. Whether he allowed himself to he knew that Felicity was his light, she was his reason that kept him fighting and not giving up. But observing her sleeping form made a bolt of protectiveness flare through him for her. She didn't even realise the effect she had on him however, he didn't let himself show it otherwise she would be harmed. Removing her glasses and placing them on the bedside table, Oliver couldn't control himself so making one last thorough check that everything was alright, her stitches, the bandage and the pillows cushioning her head and etc. He propped up the pillows and settled himself down beside Felicity. As if she sensed his presence she suddenly shifted, turning her head towards him. Why she hadn't come to him sooner he would never know but it wouldn't stop him from finding out though. Didn't she realise how special she was to him? If anything were to happen to her, he wouldn't know what to do. With all the crap going on in his life, he could always trust Felicity to brighten his day and give him a sense of freedom. Whenever he was with her, she was the key to escape his life and go somewhere that he didn't have to worry about Oliver Queen or the Arrow, he could be himself. Sometimes she didn't even realise she was doing it. Before he even registered the action, his left hand reached out to Felicity's waist and tugged her towards him like she was as light as a feather. So here they were with Oliver laid out of her bed with Felicity sprawled out across his chest and his left arm locking around her shoulders, securing her to him. Listening to her gentle intakes of breath and exhales he soon found his eyes beginning to feel like lead, becoming increasingly harder to keep open. With the feeling of Felicity in his arms he allowed the dark to claim him and floated off into his new dreams of a life he could have.

Her body ached badly, why did it feel like she'd just gone through an intense training session with Digg again? Eyes fluttering open, Felicity took in the sight she was met by like she was still in her dream. Oliver was in a deep and peaceful slumber. Then she realised how intimate their position was. At some point during the night he must've pulled her close because now she was cuddled against his chest with his left arm protectively fastened around her waist and looking down she saw that their legs were tangled together. Felicity could feel the heat rising to her cheeks and if he was able to see her now she would probably be looking redder than a tomato. Ignoring the pain flaring in her body, she pushed all inappropriate thoughts to the back of her mind; she focused on extracting herself from his sleeping form which, by the looks of how tightly he was clung onto her, would prove to be an extremely difficult job. Untangling their legs slowly and careful not to put too much pressure on any of his limbs in case his grip tightened because then escaping his grasp would be impossible, Felicity managed to retain possession of her own limbs working her way up to her upper body. When Oliver suddenly shifted, she froze her attempts at separating herself from him, his face now came to nuzzle her hair and she felt him move closer to her- great! After a good ten minutes, Felicity finally had separated herself from Oliver and while she stood at the foot of the bed she got a stunning view of him still sleeping. Making her way into the bathroom the first thing she did was inspect her injury. Pulling the gauze away slightly to see the gash, the stitches that were clasping her skin together were much neater than they had been. Dammit, Oliver must've seen it after she collapsed. Great and now she has a bow-wielding vigilante with a very bad temper problem, and was extremely possessive not to mention over-protective, keeping an eye on her. Brilliant just bloody brilliant. Having a quick shower, Felicity exited the bathroom and saw that Oliver hadn't moved a muscle while she was gone. In the space it took her to extract herself from him, take a shower _and _dry herself Oliver had barely even twitched. Should she wake him up? No, no, no bad idea. Having a sleeping vigilante in her bed that already knows about her pathetically-hidden injury is bad but having an awake vigilante knowing about her injury is worse. So no, under no circumstances was she to wake him up. Instead she settled for making herself comfortable on her couch and watching some episodes of her favourite TV series that she'd missed. About forty minutes into the third unwatched episode, noting that each one was around forty five minutes long, she heard shuffling coming from upstairs. _Great, well this is going to get interesting_ she thought when she heard him coming down the stairs.

Oliver had arisen later than he intended to because when he woken up he didn't feel the welcoming warmth of his blonde partner, instead he was met with nothing but cold air. Searching for her, he heard faint sounds of the TV coming from downstairs. Promptly taking the stairs two at a time, he made his way to what he thought was the living room.

"Why didn't you wake me?" Oliver asked, taking the cup of coffee she had already made and had left on the breakfast bar for him and taking residence beside her on the couch watching what seemed to be Teen Wolf, she had always loved Stiles, Scott and Derek.

"Because you looked too peaceful and besides I've rarely seen you sleeping so I decided not to wake you"

"And why didn't you let anyone know that you'd been hurt?" his tone carried the slight hint of anger, irritation and something else she couldn't place, probably the fact that she was hurt.

"Because it wasn't that bad, you lot get hurt all the time and patch it up like it's nothing and besides you think that was my first time that I'd gotten hurt?" she countered with another question, never once taking her attention off of the TV screen where a fight was happening between Stiles, Lydia, Kira, Scott and Oni.

"We're a team Felicity-" grabbing the remote and stopping the scene so he'd have her attention instead of it being on the screen "-and no matter what happens, we always tell each other"

"So what would you have done if I'd told you that I'd been hurt? One of you would drop everything and come and find me and treat me like some fine-wound china or something, which _always _annoys the hell out of me"

"Well sorry for trying to keep you safe"

"Nobody acts that way when any one gets hurt" she claimed crossing her arms, this really starting to get under his skin.

"Because you're not like us Felicity, you're different"

"Different how?" she was pushing his buttons in all the correct ways, pushing him over the edge.

"Because your innocent alright….you haven't seen the things the rest of us have" he snapped. "You're the light of the team Felicity and without you none of this would be the same, so if you ever get hurt we always make sure that your light's not going to be extinguished.

"Oliver…everyone has their dark secrets and sure some aren't so nice at all but it doesn't make it any different though"

"What do you mean?" he asked while Felicity crossed her arms, protecting herself and facing the frozen TV.

"Which one; the fact that your mother makes you think you're the reason your dad left you every waking second of your childhood or the fact that you still have memories of an experience that you've tried to bury for years on end only for it to haunt you at night noun and again?"

"Nobody should be blamed for that and sometimes you just have to push through it, but you know you _can _always talk to me though right?"

"Yeah I know…it's just hard because I mean I want to get it out but it always puts me back in that position again, seeing the things I did…feeling the way I did, that feeling where you _know _you're going to die and you can see it but you keep fighting for a chance to break through the surface" during her explanation, Felicity had shut her eyes tight and Oliver could see tears brimming in the corners, threatening to fall. Shifting her head to the side away from him and nudging her shoulder, he could see that she was on the verge of a breakdown. Wrapping his left arm around her shoulders and tugging her into his side, on his first tug she seemed hesitant but he was insistent and on the third tug she rested her head on his shoulder. Altering their positions slightly, Felicity's head came to rest in the crook where his neck met his shoulder, laying his chin on her head gently he offered whatever means of comfort he had to her in that moment.

"Maybe someday I can give you the comfort needed to make the experience lighter on you"

"I'd like that but for now….could I continue watching Teen Wolf?" she was rewarded by a deep laugh from Oliver, who did then finally give her the remote. Before she even got the chance, Oliver pulled her back into his chest and enveloped her in his arms. This is how they stayed even as the remaining members of Team Arrow began piling in and before long they were all asleep in her living room. Roy was on the double couch with Thea's head in his lap while his legs crossed at the ankles and rested on her coffee table, Sara took up the other seat also having Thea's feet in her lap. Digg and Lyla shared one of the armchairs while Oliver took up the remaining one with Felicity resting on his lap, cuddled up to his chest. Laurel came in a little later and found them all like this, taking a picture then another one of each person and remembering to hide them and use them as blackmail later also remembering to keep them away from the reach of a certain sleeping hacker secured to the sleeping vigilante, she joined Sara on the couch and Thea then used her as yet another pillow to rest her body on. They would always be a team and nothing in this world could ever separate them.


	2. Sleeping Beauty

**So here's chapter two of the series of stories of the Olicity adventures and yeah. Anyways sorry for not uploading but I just broke up from school and was focused on my goddamn homework and assessments, I really hate holiday-homework because it's a time where you're supposed to be enjoying yourself and instead your doing stupid school work instead. I promise to upload another chapter of A Change of View next week since it is Sunday today. Anyways enjoy the holidays for those of you off school for a couple weeks. As always please review :)**

About an hour ago they'd been on an undercover mission and almost killed by flying bullets and glass windows shattering all around them. They were tailing a local drug dealer by the name of 'Little Chuckles' so was in no way little and certainly not full of chuckles instead he was a tall, overweight dirty little bastard, who Felicity swore was also a paedophile.

"Felicity?" Digg's voice snapped her attention back to the present, where Digg was waving his hand in front of her face trying to gain her attention, "you alright?"

"Hmm…yeah, yeah…I'm fine, still just a little bit shaken up" Felicity admitted

"Maybe you should go home, your adrenaline's going to wearing off soon" Digg stated while moving to grab his jacket from where he'd placed it over the back of his chair.

"Yeah I will, just have to finish this then I'll go home…night Digg, see you tomorrow"

"Night Felicity" he threw over his shoulder while making his way out of the Foundry.

* * *

"Felicity?" Oliver's voice sounded through the lair, turning round in her chair to meet his eyes, Felicity met his curious gaze.

"Hey"

"I thought you'd be home by now"

"Nah I'm just staying until the download's done"

"Well I can stay and make sure everything's alright with the download if you want to go home to bed"

"No I'll be alright thanks though" all the time she was talking to him, a series of shakes began to rack her body.

"You alright?"

"Yeah I think the adrenaline's just wearing off" she replied while rubbing her hands over her arms.

"Here, put your hands up" Oliver said before slipping his hood over her.

"Thanks, but don't you need this?" Felicity asked

"I don't need it when I'm Oliver Queen, it'll keep you warm" he stated before striding over to the stairs before something else possessed him to do something that he won't regret later on. Smiling down at the green hoodie, she pulled the hood up so she was encased in his scent. By this point she'd forgotten about the shakes she'd had and now the matter that she was in the vigilante's hood. Even his clothing made her feel safe. Turning her concentration back to the computer screens, Felicity began typing away and tried to ignore the thoughts behind the action he'd just done.

* * *

An hour or so later, Oliver decided to return back to the Foundry. Although he didn't expect to see the scene laid out in front of him. Still sat in front of the computers was his I.T girl/partner _still _wrapped up in his hood and she was fast asleep. Her head was resting on the back of the computer chair, with the hood covering her head, while the rest of her body was curled up in a tight ball. Just from the sight of seeing Felicity wrapped up in _his_ hood caused a wave of possessiveness to course through his body. Not being able to hold back, Oliver walked over to her chair and gathered her sleeping form up into his arms, hugging her tightly against him and waltzed over to the couch and sat down with Felicity secured in his lap. During the entire time she only moved to snuggle further into him, which only made him tighten his grip ever so slightly. Tilting his head back onto the back of the couch, he finally let sleep claim his aching body and knowing that Felicity was firmly held in his arms he gladly gave up the fight for sleep because to be perfectly honest with himself, this was the best way to fall asleep.

This was how Digg and Sara found them hours later, still sleeping with Felicity in Oliver's arms and Oliver's body curled around her petite form. It was remarkable the fact that even in his sleep he still attached himself to her as an anchor to keep from spiralling out of control. Smiling at the couple, who hopefully would snap out of their daze and actually get together, Digg and Sara left the sleeping duo silently laughing because during the whole time, Felicity was still wrapped up in Oliver's hoodie and it was almost like a shield, protecting her.


	3. Dream or Reality

**Sorry about the long wait between updates. The chapters to several of my other stories will be up soon, promise. Thank you to the people reading, favouriting, following and reviewing my stories. **

**Anyways, this chapter I had a daydream about when listening to a song. Hope you enjoy it :)**

* * *

"Take your pick kid…it's either your ex-girlfriend, the sweet Laurel, or your partner in crime, the beautiful and innocent Felicity…who is it going to be?" Slade seemed to be rather enjoying the downfall of his ex-best friend. His voice broadcasted over the rooftop to where Oliver sagged on his knees, arrows scattered all over the place and bow laying a few metred away.

"Please don't do this Slade!" Oliver pleaded desperately, at this point he didn't care if he begged, and he couldn't let history repeat itself. Felicity saw his battle raging so decided for him.

"Oliver" her voice was angelic, the light amidst the roaring battle around them, she was his light, "Oliver it's okay"  
"No, no please Felicity, don't do this" tears flooded down his cheeks at the thought of losing her.

"Still defending him, still protecting him are we Miss Smoak?" Slade accused, his voice laced with spite.

"I will always stand with him" Felicity spat at him as she turned to look him dead in the eye. The ferocity in her voice made his breaths catch in Oliver's throat. He didn't deserve someone as pure as her.

"Why's that?" darkness loomed over him like a shadow, _ironic _she thought.

"Because he's a hero, Oliver's been through the same experience as you and has come out of it a much better and more worthier man than you'll _ever _be and besides, he's got something you'll _never _have" Felicity rose to her feet, standing in front of Oliver like a shield.

"Tell me, my dear, what's that?" he cocked his head, trying to intimidate her but failing in the process.

"Respect" Felicity stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. This altogether enraged Slade further. Upon distracting him, Felicity had managed to grab one of Oliver's scattered arrows, that he had shot at Slade, and untied her hands, giving her full access of her limbs again.

"Respect! Don't make me sick, the kid's nothing but a waste of space!"

"Think about it Slade! He's survived _everything _you've thrown at him and remained strong throughout it, yet you haven't!" all the while Oliver was looking at Felicity with such emotion that he had kept bottled up inside him for so long, meanwhile Laurel on the other hand looked at her like she had grown a second head. "Besides all of what you say is nothing but complete and utter _bullshit_! Oliver had people willing to follow him, to fight for him and beside him of their own free will! You don't!"

Doing nothing to calm him down, Oliver was truly astounded by the courage Felicity was showing towards the whole ordeal. The entire time, Laurel had shifted over to the side of the room, far away from Slade. However, the events of the next moment he couldn't have seen coming. Yelling out Slade sheathed his sword and lunged for Felicity but she dodged his attack, with a move Oliver had seen Digg teach her (he would be proud), and pierce his arrow through his chest and straight into his heart.

"I'll never stop defending or protecting him, no matter what anyone says to me" Oliver heard Felicity whisper to Slade before his dead body slumped to the floor. Nevertheless when she turned round to face him, he never expected to see her hand covering her abdomen, where he could see blood staining her hand red crimson red. Slade had run her through with his sword.

"No" Oliver screamed out, eyes going wide, as he lunged for her, tugging her into his lap "Felicity…"

"It's alright Oliver" she smiled up at him weakly, his heart seized.

"No, god please no…it's not alright this wasn't supposed to happen, you weren't supposed to get hurt" his left hand reached down to cover hers over her abdomen, applying pressure to the rapidly increasing wound. Glancing down at her deep blue eyes once full of so much light, now draining with every passing second.

"You can't save everyone you know…" she tried to joke but on his part, it wasn't even anywhere near being funny.

"I should've saved _you_" tears dropped off of his chin and onto her cheek. Reaching up, she began brushing away the tears. He leaned heavily into her touch, grounding him of her presence while she was still with him.

"I'm not sorry for what I did, Oliver…look at me" obeying her command, her eyes still held so much love for him…only for him "I…love…you…and I will never stop loving you" Felicity stuttered out, making him close his eyes and hold her more tightly to his chest.

"No, Felicity stay with me…I'm not losing you, I can't…without you I'm nothing…I love you"

"Promise me you'll never change, that you'll find another way" her breathing was becoming more and more laboured with every breath.

"I-I promise…but don't leave me, _please_" he pleaded her, glancing down again to find she was gone, her eyes locked shut. "Felicity…please…don't do this…Felicity open your eyes! Please Felicity, _wake up!_" he cried out helplessly as her blood spilled out past his hand, also staining his hand. He had failed the only person that mattered most in his life. The only goodness he had left was gone.

That's where the rest of his team found them. Laurel quietly crying in the corner and Oliver sitting there with Felicity's figure tightly cradled against his chest, his face buried in her neck. Each sob wracked both forms. Where there used to be warmth, Oliver was now met by coldness. Just then his empty world began shaking, causing him to hold onto the body of his lost love even tighter.

"Oliver!" his name seemed so foreign to his ears.

* * *

"He's been like this for a while, I can't snap him out of it...so that's why I called you" Thea claimed gesturing to her sleeping brother, who was becoming more and more restless by each passing second.

"Has he been having these often?" Felicity heard herself asking, for some reason her voice not sounding like her own in that moment.

"Yes, he's been having them occasionally for quite a while now...all ending up yelling out your name", Thea's words were like a knife, cutting into her. Focusing her attention on the clearly distressed man writhing in pain and panic.

Oliver was squirming in his bed sheets, a cold sweat covering his body, yelling out Felicity's name. It caused her heart to tighten to see him in so much pain. Attempting to wake him up from his nightmare, Felicity lightly shook his shoulders and called out his name. After a while he began to quieten, opening his eyes. She bit back a gasp at the fear and the brokenness she found there.

"Oliver you're okay" she soothed when he was fully awake, gently laying her hand on his cheek.

"Felicity?" the level of desperation behind his voice hurt her.

"Yeah, I'm here….you're alright"

"You're here?"

"I'm here, don't worry"

"Please don't leave me" his statement shattered her heart into a million tiny pieces.

"Can't you?" Thea mouthed. Nodding Felicity answered.

"I'm not going anywhere, I promise", her declaration made Oliver bury his face in her stomach.  
"Do you want to borrow some PJ's or maybe one of his shirts? I'm sure it'll be like a dress on you" Thea's question was instantly answered by her throwing Felicity one of Oliver's oversized shirts. Slipping away, after she turned him into the pillow beneath his head and whispered into his ear that she'd be back in a second, Felicity moved to his bathroom to get dressed.

* * *

When she returned and climbed into his queen-sized bed (the irony there made her laugh), Oliver had hauled her into his arms and banded his arms around her waist. Laying side-by-side she allowed her hand to move soothingly up and down the back of his neck. So there they lay with Oliver's head cushioned on her shoulder, tucked in under her arm and his arms banding around her petite figure so tightly it was obvious something bad had happened to her in his nightmare to get him to act like this. He was usually so composed, so defended but seeing him this way made her hurt inwardly. Thea smiled at the pair before heading off to her own bed, probably with her boyfriend.

She felt his legs tangle with hers, erasing any distance between them. What had happened to her? Was it Slade again? Just last week they had battled another of Starling's criminals and while there were no causalities, she had sustained a head injury and a pretty bad broken ankle that kept Oliver on his toes around her. Heading back to the Foundry, Oliver had insisted on carrying her back and escorting her back to her house where he even stayed in case of any problems. Even though she had been asleep she could feel his eyes on her, she thought he might have stayed awake the entire night watching her from the couch in her bedroom because when she woke he was fast asleep there, turned towards her. Settling herself down Felicity felt the last of his muscles relax, letting her know he had fallen asleep cuddled into her.

Since she was clearly not getting out of her current situation (not that she wanted to), Felicity laid her head back on the pillows and felt herself drift off into her thoughts and memories with Oliver nesting in her side. That thought alone put a smile on her face before she dropped the last thread of consciousness.

* * *

That night Oliver wasn't plagued with nightmares of him losing his last shred of humanity, instead he was met by sweet dreams of living a perfect life with the woman he loved with everything he had. He dreamed of how his life could be if he allowed himself to be happy.

* * *

Waking up beside Felicity's sleeping form; his body entwined with hers sent a pang of something he had kept locked up within him for a long time. Seeing how his arms were fastened around her waist, securing him to her, also sent a wave of possessiveness coursing through his veins like fire that he thought he had extinguished long ago.

How could someone as broken as him be gifted with someone like Felicity, she was oblivious to what she did to him every single time he saw her. Her cheerfulness with the world, all her bright-coloured clothing, the way she would hum along to a tune while working on her babies (it made a smile embrace him every time she called her computers that, then proceeded to call his bow and arrows his 'babies', all the while making Digg burst out in a fit of laughter until Oliver said that Digg's guns were _his babies_), the way when she sang a song she liked her body would dance to the music, the way she admired him on the Salmon Ladder when he thought she wasn't looking when he actually was, the way she and Digg were there every day by his side, fighting beside him as his partners.

The main thing being the fact that Felicity actually believed in him when not only no one else did, but even when _he _didn't even believe in _himself_. Like she said in his nightmare, she would always stand with him and nobody could ever change her mind on that. That thought alone gave him strength to battle through his wars raging on.

If his life could be so enchanted by someone like her, why should he waste any more time doubting his feelings when they were there clear to the world?

From the contents of his latest nightmare, he wouldn't be able to live another day of his life if he were to lose her from his side, she would take a piece of him along with her that he would never be able to get back.

Shifting her so she was also pressed up against him as well, Oliver cuddled up against her and wrapped himself up in Felicity's scent, Oliver drifted off once again to the promise of the light. Besides it is always darker before the dawn. With Felicity beside him, he could do _anything_.

The days following that night at the Queen Manor, it was routine. Whenever Oliver was struck with nightmares, Thea would call Felicity and she would stay the night. Oliver and Felicity finally made a life together, going official a few weeks later, relieving all of their friends from living another day of insanity of the apparent feelings flying between the pair of them. That didn't make it any less hilarious when Felicity was asked out on a date and Digg had to hold Oliver back from his arrow-mode (as Felicity liked to call it) when one of the lads braved the storm and leaned in for a peck on the lips. It always made everyone laugh how he would then act all possessive over her. In the long run, they couldn't be happier than when they were together.


	4. Starling City's Vigilante

**This trope was supposed to be called Starling City's Vigilante - All In A Day's Work but sadly I couldn't fit it all in, so here's another chapter. Sometime this week I'll try and give you an update with Forbidden Love and maybe A Change of View as well. Enjoy and _review_. **

Damn him and damn John Diggle as well.

Obviously, both men had managed to get themselves caught up in something they didn't want to be in. She had seen it coming from a mile away and she was on the bloody phone. The main hint was the fact that everything had suddenly went from noisy to as silent as the night. So now here she was, pacing the floors in agitation trying to come up with a plan to save the pair of them without getting them both killed at the same time.

Of course this had happened now. Sara and Nyssa were on the boat at god knows where while Roy was taking a well-deserved vacation. She couldn't call him in because by the time he got there, they would be dead men.

So she was the only hope left. Perfect! What _the hell _was she going to do?

Turning in her tracks when an idea hit her like a ton of bricks. Glancing over at the hood costume hanging, teasing her, from inside its glass box, her brain argued at home bad that plan was. She _could_ do it. But it could never work. She would never be able to pull it off. Besides both Digg and Oliver would kill her, but if she didn't they would be dead. She didn't have a choice. Anyways she knew what she was doing; Felicity had designed the tech that Oliver used to deepen his voice, covering his own. Plus she had a few tricks up her sleeve.

Grabbing the clothing in question, Felicity didn't give it another thought as she quickly prepped herself.

It felt weird dressed as the Arrow because it was Oliver's thing, not hers. _Crap! _What about her car, it would definitely stand out. Eying Oliver's Ducati, Felicity didn't let herself think any more on the subject, she was doing this. End of discussion.

Swinging her leg over the saddle and settling onto the bike before revving it into life, this was one of the times in her life when she was grateful of her college days. Everyone experimented right. Well she had dated a motorbike guy that had practically shoved her onto the death trap and sent her blazing off down the road. Shaking her head, she focused on her task at hand.

* * *

Oliver and Digg were being held captive at the docks in one of the neighbouring buildings, where a drug lord was transporting illegal items. They really didn't think about the consequences of their actions until they had guns pressed into their backs. Parking the bike a little far up from where her team mates in case something went south and they needed a quick exit. Luckily Digg had brought his car so she put the Ducati in the line of sight when Digg was at his Bentley.

There was a gap in the walls that Felicity easily navigated, gaining instant access to a view of the entire building. Checking the hood and mask were properly positioned and wouldn't fall off during any possible fights.

"Breath Felicity, breath" she reminded herself, calming her racing heartbeat down before she got to work, "Do it for the guys, however dim-witted they are"

Felicity scanned the scene before her also taking in her surroundings in case of a quick exit. She saw Digg and Oliver on their knees, hands tied up behind their backs, searching for an escape route. Remaining in the shadows provided by the darkened sky, Felicity waited for the perfect chance to strike but also planning what she would do.

Notching an arrow, Felicity positioned herself into the proper stance, and let the arrow fly through the air towards her intended target. She watched on with a proud smile as the arrow knocked the metal pipe right out of the leader's hands, which was raised above his head ready to bring it down on Oliver's stomach. Both team mates looked up into the shadows with shock as they realised whose arrows those belonged to.

Maybe they would think she was Roy, hopefully she could pull that off. Turning on the voice modulator, her unexpected deep voice didn't even make her blink.

"Let them go!" she made herself heard, moving down closer and ready to provide a distraction when needed.

While she had the guard's attentions, Oliver and Digg began trying to free themselves from their bonds but couldn't seem to manage it. Brilliant, now it was up to her. _Focus Felicity, focus _she reminded herself as she locked in combat with one of the guards.

Digg's training kicked into her, booting up her defence system. She couldn't feel any of her limbs, thanks to adrenaline, allowing her to battle through all the guards. Not stopping to register the fact that she was fighting like the vigilante would and the fact that not once had she been put on her ass or received a blow that the guards were throwing.

* * *

Everything was going surprisingly well. Because she had the upper-hand advantage, Felicity easily took out the first and second guard. When she twirled around to face the small group of men, Felicity notched another arrow and aimed it at the men's feet and released. As soon as it was latched in the ground, they all looked up at her.

"Missed!" one of the men shouted, with an obvious smirk in his voice until she replied.

"Did I?" keeping her words to a minimum, because that was how the Arrow talked and she didn't feel like blowing her cover.

Broken pieces of wood and metal flew everywhere, covering her head with her arms; the outcome wasn't actually as bad as she thought it would be. Honestly, she couldn't believe she just did that. They had to get out of there in case any more goons decided to show up.

Moving over to Oliver and Digg, who now took a proper look at her figure and now realised exactly who it was, still wearing shocked, with what she'd just done, and slightly annoyed expressions. Taking out her knife from her boot to but the bonds, Felicity turned off the voice modulator since it wasn't really necessary anymore.

"Are you two alright?" Felicity asked first, removing the hood but not the mask. Suddenly Oliver was grabbing her by her shoulders.

"_Are you insane?! You could've got yourself killed!_" Oliver was first to break out of the trance, yelling at her. Thank god no more conscious guards were in or anywhere near the building.

"I am _not _apologising for saving your sorry asses but how about we shout at each other back at the Foundry" Felicity suggested, rolling up the left sleeve of the hood to a gadget on located on her wrist, which she quickly sent the footage that any of the cameras picked up, of them, to the lair's secure servers and moved the sleeve back into place again. "Come on, follow me" Felicity stated before taking off towards where she had parked the bike, double checking that the CCTV camera's didn't pick up anything that could be used against them, before retreating back to his bike.

"Hold on, what are you doing on my bike?"

"Oliver really not the time, get your ass on that bike and I'll meet you both back at the lair"

"Are you coming or not?"

"Scoot back then"

"Oliver for god's sake, we don't have time to argue about whose driving, now get on!" Felicity snapped, sparking something in him that he wasn't quite aware of. Growling, he obeyed and hopped on the back, taking the helmet she handed him, one was always hidden under the back seat of the bike.

Revving the bike to life, Felicity shot off towards the Foundry.

The sudden movement made Oliver wrap his arms around her waist tightly and he was glad that his hood covered the majority of her body; otherwise this would be quite awkward for him right now. Moving his head so his face was nested between her shoulder blades, her scent overflowed his senses and he couldn't help the way his mind seem to memorise her scent for later purposes. His mind seemed to taunt him with thoughts of her.

"Oliver?" Felicity's soft voice broke him back to reality to see that they were outside the club, still on the bike and with his body still firmly attached to her back and his arms tightly snaked around her waist.

"Hmm…" he replied, not trusting his voice at that moment.

"You need to let me go so we can both get off" she stated, turning her head to the side to look at him.

"Oh…right" his voice came out a little breathy, maybe that was from how his mind was currently torturing him. Reluctantly releasing his grip around her waist and moving to get off his bike. He should've gone with Digg because right now he was in danger of losing control of himself and probably leading up to something that he would never regret but could also jeopardise his relationship, friendship with Felicity.

It had only been a few months after he had said those three blasted words that summed up his feelings towards her. To think that she probably still thought that he was just lying about it to get Slade to think he truly did love her, but to perfectly honest in that moment the thought of just telling her about how he felt about her, unburdening him.

* * *

Walking back to the lair, Oliver found himself tangling his fingers with hers, _needing _the contact in that moment.

She could've gotten herself killed doing something as stupid as that but he was _so _proud of her improving skills with combat, showing him that she was getting better at looking after herself. But at that same time he wished she was still the person that he had to save, had to protect because it showed her innocence with the nightmares of his life. Nobody ever knew that he used to love knowing that he was needed in her life, to shield her from the world. It wasn't the same with Laurel because he didn't feel anywhere near what he felt with Felicity.

Leading him to the med-bay, Felicity pushed at his chest to get him to settle himself on the edge so she could check him over for any injuries.

"Still can't believe you both got yourselves caught" she muttered, focusing her attention of the gash across his cheek from where he'd been hit time and time again in an attempt to knock him out.

"Wasn't our brightest hours" trying to keep his gaze off of her face and on something else while she fixed him up.

"Gee, you think?" she scoffed, clearly angry with them.

"Well at least we didn't endanger our lives going into a situation where you have no idea _how _many men are there, _what_'s going on in there and _knowing _if you're even going to come out alive" his anger flared up, but it didn't seem to faze her as she never paused with anaesthetic.

"Still wouldn't have changed my mind, I took a gamble and it paid off"

"Well what if that gamble hadn't of paid off? What then?"

"It didn't come to that so stop thinking about it alright, we're all still alive so let it go" this got his blood boiling.

"I can't! Knowing the fact that you gambled with your life for us, I can't let that go!" Felicity finished with the first aid and took a step back; to make sure she'd done the first aid right, and then went over to the monitors to check up on the footage the CCTV cameras picked up.

"Looks like you're going to have to…besides you don't see me giving you this conversation because I know that whatever you choose is your choice, it's your life so you can decide what you do with it" turning around to face him so it didn't enrage him more with her back to him.

"DAMMIT FELICITY! Stop with that saying, I don't care what you think about my life because in the end yours is more important than mine!" his face went red with annoyance at her.

"BULLSHIT! Your life is not more important than mine, I'm not the one saving and protecting this city you are you giant asshole! You and Digg can always find another I.T girl for your little escapade, but another you or Digg is impossible! So don't you tell me that your life isn't important because it is and that's all I'm saying tonight, so if you don't mind yelling at me about how much you hate my decision with saving both your asses tonight, save it because right now I'm going to concentrate on not blowing the secret!" Felicity took a deep breathe, calming her heart rate down since right now it was all over the place and turned her attention back to the monitors again as Digg came down the stairs.

The thing Felicity was oblivious to, but Digg clearly saw, was the fact that her little speech had really gotten on Oliver's last nerve because his jaw was tightened almost painfully and his hands were clenched into tight fists in an attempt to calm down and not explode but not getting very far.

Not caring about the footage, Oliver waltzed over to her chair and spun it around so she facing him.

"Oliver!" Felicity protested and tried to get up but he wouldn't relent, pushing her back down into her previous position again.

Putting each hand on the armrests of her chair, effectively trapped her in, he leaned down slightly. Meanwhile, Digg proceeded with checking the footage, deleting bits that would expose the secret.

"Don't you DARE say that you're just some I.T girl Felicity, because you're _much _more than that, you're the heart of this team and it would be impossible to replace _you_, and trust me when I say this something happened to you then this team would slowly break apart" if he wasn't Oliver then in that moment she guessed he would probably be crying if it wasn't for him shielding his emotions from the world so he didn't end up getting hurt.

During the whole time, he was leaning down towards her. Digg had seen what he was trying to do so he decided to go see Lyla, since she was pregnant with his kid.

"Felicity…" he whispered out breathlessly as his face was beginning to reach breathing distance from Felicity's.

"Oliver…" she started, moving her face closer to his and whispered "I'd do it again and there isn't anything you can do to convince me otherwise", this seemed to ruin the moment because as soon as the words were out of her mouth, his jaw tightened in response.

"Nothing?" his tone was soft, cocking his head, and she sensed a hint of teasing masked with a daring sense, was he challenging her?

"Absolutely, _nothing_" she clarified

"You sure about that?"

"Yep" she popped the 'p' at the end. Once again she leaned up slightly, making him think she was going in for a kiss so he instinctively parted his lips, "I'm going to head home"

"Aren't you forgetting something?" reminding her that ever since they'd been back, she hadn't taken off the hood. From the sight of her wrapped up in his hood made a possessive feeling wash over him, waking up parts of him that had been sleeping for quite some time.

"Damn it, I almost got away with it too" Felicity mused, "See you tomorrow, try not to get yourself kidnapped while I'm gone alright"

"Oh, ha ha very funny"

"Kind of is, that's the point fun police" she muttered

"Heard you"

"Supposed to" she called out before shutting the door behind her.

* * *

Falling asleep that night was harder than before.

Her brain was catching up with what she'd done when she'd saved Oliver and Digg. She congratulated herself on being an awesome bad ass. Shifting into a comfortable position, Felicity heard the window slowly open.

Thanks to Digg and Oliver, she was more aware of her surroundings and what was happening around her. Footsteps slowly approached her bedroom, lying as still as she could to make the person think she was asleep, Felicity continued like this until she felt the bed dip beside her. There was someone directly behind her.

"Did you really think you could escape me?" the person spoke and instantly she recognised the voice. He must've thought she was still asleep because he made no move to touch her however; she on the other hand had different plans. Rolling herself and him over so she was lying on top of him, Felicity saw he was dressed as the Arrow.

"What are you doing?"

"I could ask you the same" he stated with a huskiness in his tone before flipping their positions over.

"So, you going to answer the question or are you just here to scare me into admitting defeat?"

"I have no idea what you're on about" she glared at him.

"Nothing you do can change my decision and that is final" Felicity launched herself up and forward, moving him off of her in the process, and moving to the foot of the bed. "Absolutely _nothing_" receiving a growl from Oliver, Felicity went into the living room and plopped down on the sofa and switched on the TV to The Jeremy Kyle Show. Crossing her feet at her ankles, she rested them on the coffee table before Oliver decided to join her, pulling her into his side. Glancing up at him, Felicity raised her eyebrow at him.

"What, do you really think you can escape me that easily?" not answering him, instead turning her attention to Jeremy Kyle, who was currently dealing with the situation of 'DNA test proved I was the Dad so why won't you let me see my children?'

"Some people just really aren't cut out to be parents" she stated a quarter into the show.

"One things for sure, the people coming onto this show never cease to amaze me but not in a good way though"

"I second that" she agreed laughing at Jeremy Kyle's response to someone's statement.

* * *

By the time that the second episode of the show ended and went into the third, Felicity was curled up into Oliver's side while his eyes were still trained onto the TV screen.

Felicity was basically sitting in his lap in the position she was asleep in. Her head was nested on his left shoulder while her legs were stretched out across his lap, his arm was fastened around her, securing her to him in case something happened and she accidently fell off of the couch but it was mainly because he loved feeling her against him, that way he felt she was there.

His legs were crossed at the ankles and propped up on her coffee table, like Felicity's earlier position before he had stolen her away and pulled her up against him. Glancing down at her sleeping figure, she looked so peaceful and young in her sleep.

"Come on let's get you back to bed" he said, gathering her into his arms and moving towards the bedroom.

When she shifted he froze. Burrowing her way closer into him, Oliver had to lock down not only that possessive feeling, making a reappearance again, but also a thought of how else he could get her to burrow into him like that.

Shaking those thoughts out of his head, Oliver gently placed Felicity in her bed before moving round to the other side and making himself comfortable, joining her in the bed and once again pulling her into his side. Felicity didn't seem to mind as she tucked herself in under his arm, cuddled close against him; resting her head on his chest and her hand lay over his heart.

Seeming satisfied, he slowly feel asleep to the feel of having Felicity pulled up tightly into his side and the sound of his heartbeat. How was it possible that in his dark, lonely life he got so lucky? That was a question that he could never answer. But it was for another day, for now he was content with falling asleep with his girl wrapped up in his arms.


	5. Trouble

**I came up with this trope while watching an episode of Jeremy Kyle, everything got quite heated. Something about a so called father wanting to see his kids but the mother not allowing him the permission, maybe because he was drunk or something. I can't really remember exactly but anyways. Send it any prompts! I find it fun writing from your suggestions. Next up, another chapter of A Change of View. :P**

It was a normal morning at QC, just another day at work. Oliver was behind his desk signing papers, giving his approval on various on-going projects. Digg was standing guard at his usual corner, with both Oliver and Felicity's desks in view while Felicity was behind her desk, typing away at her computer. She had finished her work for both jobs so now she could enjoy playing Candy Crush. Well that was her intention anyway. Her phone began ringing, the sound bouncing around within the two offices and gaining both men's attention in the process. Clicking off the game, she answered the call.

"Hello" the voice that replied instantly put a smile on her face, lighting up her eyes.

"Auntie Flisscity" her nephew, Ryan's, voice replied. He couldn't really pronounce her name quite right. Ryan was the son of her sister, Melanie, and they had a very tight relationship because she was there for them during the years, including Ryan's birth and birthdays and Christmases, and was on call whenever they needed her.

"Ryan!" she could see both Digg and Oliver's reactions in her peripheral vision. Oliver's head shot up while Digg knew exactly she was talking to, since he also met them during the months in Oliver's absence, so had a giant smile on his face. This was not ignored by the obviously curious CEO looking between Digg's smile and Felicity's chipper voice.

"Flisscity…daddies found us" Ryan's voice was full of fear and Felicity knew why.

"What?" everything froze for Felicity, this wasn't good. Focusing on Ryan, she replied "…can you put mummy on the phone Ryan?" she heard him calling for her and her approach over the phone, her concentration on her sister and her nephew.

"Liz, he's here…he's found us, he called me saying 'I know where you are'…Liz what do I do, I can't let him near Ryan" she could tell what state her sister was in solemnly on her voice, and she petrified. Also she was panicking.

"Mel listen to me…stay where you are, I'll be there as soon as I can" Felicity tried to calm her sister, rising and packing her purse. This made both men rise as well and go over to her office.

"Liz no, you remember what happened last time…he can't see you near Ryan, he'd kill you"

"Mel, I don't care what he says, I care about the two of you…stay put, I'm coming" and with that she hung up, before her sister could convince her not to.

"Felicity what's wrong?" Oliver came in front of her desk.

"I just need to go, my sister's and her nephew are in trouble" Felicity said, not looking at either Oliver or Digg.

"Who was the man you were talking about?" if she had time to stop and analyse his voice then she would've realised that it was laced with jealously but she really didn't have the time to do that, so instead she just ignored it.

"Oliver I don't have time, they need me _now_"

"Then we're coming with you" he Oliver stated, looking behind him at Digg. They exchanged a look before focusing on Felicity again.

"I don't have time to argue, so no…this is something I have to deal with alright"

"Like you said you don't have time to argue, we're coming and that's final…no one's going to hurt you or your sister and her nephew" she didn't reply, not pausing in her movements so they took it as her 'whatever'.

* * *

In the car Felicity told them about how her sister had fallen in love with the quarter back in high school, so Ryan was born. But a couple months after his birth, she had fled from George taking Ryan with her, and had come to Felicity and she had taken them in, cared for them and helped with keeping him from George.

How he was a terrible father, an abusive drunk who used to threaten them all. This wasn't taken in lightly by either man, Felicity could see Oliver's jaw tighten almost painfully and Digg's grip on the wheel, turn into a white-knuckle grip.

* * *

Upon their arrival, Felicity was relieved to see that she couldn't see George's car anywhere in the neighbourhood. When she entered Melanie's house, Mel threw herself at Felicity and hugged her tightly then she went on to hug Ryan, who cried into her shoulder. Introducing them to Oliver and Digg, Mel thanked them for coming with her 'stubborn' sister.

"You shouldn't have come though Liz"

"I told you I was coming, he doesn't scare me…hasn't for a long time, pack your bags your coming to live with me…both of you" Ryan never released his death grip on his favourite auntie.

"But…"

"No buts, I told you from day 1 that I wasn't going to let him hurt either one of you and I'm keeping my promise"

"Thank you" Mel hugged her, being careful to mind her son in the process.

"No need, you're my sister…I would always protect you two"

* * *

When Melanie had both her and Ryan's bags packed, they heard the familiar roar of an engine outside the house.

"He's here" Mel's face turned pale white while Felicity didn't even twitch, Ryan buried his face further into Felicity's neck, crying. Neither Oliver nor Digg weren't disregarding the fact that this George guy had both Melanie and Ryan petrified and Felicity looked like she was about to face a demon, which didn't go past either man too lightly either. Why were they so afraid of him?

"Mel, take Ryan"

"What are you going to do?"

"Something I should've done a long time ago" she admitted to her sister, giving her a quick smile.

"Liz…you know what he did last time" Mel warned, fearing for her sister's life.

"He can't hurt me, I'm not afraid of him this time…besides, you've got the restraining order so he can't come anywhere near you" that seemed to startle both men, but not in a good way.

"He hurt you?" Oliver's expression looked murderous and Digg's wasn't any better. They really didn't like that truth bomb. Felicity was hoping that they wouldn't find out that George had hurt her in her attempt to defend her sister.

* * *

Exiting the house to face George, Oliver was beside her the entire time while Digg stayed with Melanie and Ryan.

"Don't worry about Liz, Oliver's with her and George would never be able even lay a finger on her let alone hurt her" it felt comfortable calling Felicity 'Liz', since they had a tight relationship and he was deciding on the nickname he should give her.

"Thank you John, for both your and Oliver's help with this…I'm glad she's such good friends with the two of you, I feel much better that she's got the two of you by her side…it means I can sleep easier knowing that"

"You're welcome, Liz is like my little sister and so I protect her with my life, always there whenever she needs me and with Oliver, they have a deeper friendship almost to the point of lovers…but the problem is they never admit that they love each other to one another but you can see it in the way that they look and act around each other…if ever Liz gets hurt, Oliver's always beside her no matter what…he looks after her and so do I, we're a team and no one can ever split us up"

"I'm glad, so you're like a little family…the three of you"

"Yep pretty much"

* * *

Meanwhile outside, George had pulled up onto the curb and quickly had Felicity in his line of sight.

"Well, well, well it's been a long time since I saw you" his tone sent a shiver up her spine but Felicity didn't let it faze her. Besides she's the one with Oliver beside her, well actually more in front of her.

"Don't take another step towards us" she growled out. Her tone caused Oliver to tense up and she could see his body coiled up, ready for action. George didn't stand a chance.

"Yeah and who's gonna make me?" cocking his head, "…you? What makes you think I won't hesitate to put you in hospital yet again?"

"Touch her and it'll be the last thing you _ever _do" Oliver snarled, pushing him clear from her. Positioning his body between his girl and the bastard, who he was debating on whether or not to punch that smug grin clean off his face.

"Who are you, the cavalry? You can't stop me from seeing my son!"

"Ryan's not your son, he never was…Mel gave you a chance at being a father and you screwed it up, just like you did with your life…and I swear to god if you even so much as touch either one of them, I will have you behind bars before you can even blink" she was sick to death at this piece of crap being the source of so many nightmares. She stepped out from behind Oliver and waltzed right up to him, intimidating him like he had done oh so long ago. "…anyways aren't you forgetting something, Mel has a restraining order…so you can't get _anywhere _near Ryan _in your life_" in that moment Felicity could pass for being the Arrow, because she had the voice down without the help of the voice modulator. Even though she was clearly handling herself, this didn't deter Oliver, because he was standing beside Felicity, in case the bastard threw a punch.

"I preferred the old you" George's attempt at intimidating Felicity was completely lost on her because as soon as he stepped into her personal space, she responded by shoving him back. The surprising force shoved him back into his car, tripping himself up in the process.

"If you think for _a second_ that I scared of you then you are _clearly_ mistaken…all you are some pathetic son-of-a-bitch taking advantage of people smaller than you" if Felicity turned to look at Oliver, his entertained face would be lighting up his face in a devilish manor. In that moment, Mel came wandering out onto the porch of her house with Ryan clinging onto her and Digg standing guard in front of them.

"I don't want to see your face anywhere near my son, like Liz said…_you are not his father_, because his dad is the man that I fell in love with in high school…not this drunken lunatic"

"YOU CAN'T KEEP MY SON FROM ME!" George seemed outraged by that remark, pushing Felicity back and attempting to throw a punch at her but didn't expect to her dodge the blow and land one of her own to his face, breaking his nose in the process.

"YOU BITCH, LOOK WHAT YOU DID!" he roared at her.

"You've had that a long time coming! You're nothing but a waste of space" she growled at him, spite lacing her tone. Infuriated he once again came at Felicity again but was immobilised by Oliver knocking him out cold.

"Like I said, don't touch her" he muttered, turning to her "…are you okay?"

"Honestly, I've never been better…but I want that piece of crap far away from here though"

"I agree with that entirely" Digg interjected, turning to lead Mel and a still weeping Ryan back into the house while Felicity called Detective Lance about the unconscious man.

* * *

"Don't worry, you won't be hearing from him for a long time" Lance comforted Melanie. They had told him about what had happened.

"Thank you Lance" Melanie thanked, walking him out the door.

Ryan was watching 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' with Digg, who had them both in his peripheral vision but already knew the conversation they were having, since Felicity had already accidently mentioned something about it and Digg had dug at it until she told him what had happened fully. But he also knew Oliver wasn't going to like a single second of it.

"Felicity"

"Yeah"

"What happened before?" she knew he wouldn't be able to stay quiet for long, especially when he heard about her getting put in hospital. Seating herself on the couch beside Oliver, she trained her gaze on her hands and avoiding his gaze as much as possible. She would have to get through this next bit.

"We were at a friend's house, Ryan was having a play date, and he just suddenly appeared. So I defended my sister and nephew without a second thought, I went out to stop him from entering the house. He…uh…he didn't like the fact that I was separating him from Ryan and he…he…" breathing deeply, she continued with her eyes shut tight "…he began threatening me and grabbed me by my throat and threw me onto the ground, beating me and kicking me. He tried to enter the house again but I wouldn't relent…he hit me with, I think, a crowbar also breaking my leg until Giselle, the friend, called the cops and Mel got the restraining order against George…he put me in the hospital for about six months. In the end I ended up with a broken leg, broken ribs, a black eye and bruised wrist" her hands had started shaking halfway through her story so she had crossed her fingers over in an attempt to stop them from shaking. Risking a glance at Oliver, his jaw was tightened painfully, his hands clenched as fists, his features had darkened and were set. She knew he was barely controlling his anger.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I didn't want to…I hate bringing it up and besides I've moved past it, today helping with that" she smiled at herself for what she had done, proud with herself. Tilting her chin up so she no other choice but to look at him, he looked down with such care; it sent her stomach flipping at the sight.

"You can always talk to me about anything, I'll listen and comfort you, any way I can"

"I know, but it doesn't affect me anymore…not as much as it used to"

"Well I'm just glad I was here with you, I'd never let anyone hurt you on my watch…you know that right?"

"Yeah I do, thank you…for everything and Digg too, who is probably listening to this conversation right now" she skimmed over at him, smirking.

"Always is" Oliver reached over to entangle his fingers with hers. Yep, both he and Digg would always be there for her, whether she liked it or not.

Smiling over at him, she drifted sideways to rest up against Oliver, who seemed to welcome the action, since he was banding an arm around her waist, tucking her in against him.

Yep, there was no way in hell that she could ever be scared of anything again with her boys by her side, and they weren't going anywhere any time soon. They were a family. That thought got a smile on her face.

"Always" Oliver muttered against into her hair. _Crap! _She had said that out loud. Seriously she needed to get her brain to mouth filter fixed. Sighing in contentment, Felicity drifted off at the promise of tomorrow. Dawning a new day for Team Arrow.


	6. Mint Choc Chip Ice Cream

She was wrapped up in her favourite blanket when she felt peckish, craving mint choc chip ice cream but her freezer was empty of it.

Both Oliver and Digg had told her a thousand times over _not _to go out to the shops at night, especially the fact that she has to walk through the Glades to get to the shops.

Grabbing her MIT hoodie, Felicity started off towards the 24-hour convenience shop. The streets were completely empty and silent, apart from the sound of cars whizzing past her.

If either man knew what she was doing, oh she would be so dead right now.

* * *

Oliver was out on patrol, checking over the city, making sure everything and everyone was safe. He had just parked his motorbike nearby while he scaled the buildings, he always preferred having going to high ground because then it allowed him to not only see more of what was going on around him but also if an attack took place then he would have the upper hand advantage.

He was checking over the Glades when he saw a woman heading into a shop near the outskirts of the Glades. Her face was obscured by the oversized hoodie she wore, the sleeves ending over her hands. Frowning, that hoodie looked like the same one he had seen Felicity wear once when she had been sick one weekend.

She looked so familiar but he wasn't sure.

Stopping on a nearby rooftop, Oliver crouched and waited until he had a proper unobstructed view of her face to see if he did know her.

His hands clenched tightly into fists when he thought he knew who the blonde woman was and if he was right then that person would be in _deep_ trouble.

* * *

She had just purchased two tubs of mint choc chip when she heard the door of the shop open. Thinking it was just another customer; Felicity didn't bother turning around to see who it was so grabbed her bag and change from the cashier, who had a strange look on his face.

Suddenly she was being turned and thrown over someone's shoulder. All she saw before she was hanging over his shoulder was a flurry of green.

"What the?!" one moment she was inside the shop paying for her ice cream then the next he was carrying her outside. Able to make the outline of a hood Felicity knew exactly who was currently carrying her out of the shop. "Put…me…down…right…now!"

"No…way…in…hell, what did we tell you about going grocery shopping in the middle of the night and especially at night in the Glades?"

"Look, I'm not arguing with you when you have me thrown over your shoulder…so if you want me to answer that then…put me down on the ground where my feet are supposed to be!"

Letting loose a growl that caused a shiver to run her spine, Oliver released his iron grip of the back of her legs and let her body slide down his body so they were standing chest to chest.

"You were saying?" She rolled her eyes at him before returning her gaze back into his eyes again. He never stopped trying to intimidate her but she hadn't been intimidated by him ever since she first signed up to the team, temporarily.

"I'm saying that before I even met either one of you I was taking care of myself perfectly fine, including walking at night through the Glades…so excuse me if old habits die hard"

"That's just the thing Felicity, you have both of us on your side so excuse for trying to take care of you…now before we get into a full-blown argument get your ass on that bike, or we might just end up on the front cover of the newspaper!" Felicity was so used to his voice modulator and with him yelling at her with it still on so now it was pretty easy to just ignore it whenever they got into yet another argument.

"Well, _Arrow_, if you haven't noticed yet I've got two legs for a thing called _walking _so if you don't mind, I'm going to _use them _and _walk _back home" so before he got a chance to talk her out of it, she turned and began home. What made her think that he was just going to leave it there clearly needed a refresh or reboot, Oliver _never _just leaves it there especially when it comes to arguments regarding her safety.

The roar of the Ducati engine got her attention on Oliver once again but she didn't turn to him, just kept walking.

Suddenly the world was going by faster than before. He had snatched her off the side of the road and she was now sitting sideways, leaning up against his chest and boxed in by his arms holding onto the handlebars, firmly.

"Urgh…you are so infuriating!"

"Me? I'm not the one who was walking through the Glades at night! Anything could've happened to you!" stealing a glance down at her pulled up tight against him, he returned his direct line of sight to the road.

"I've been doing this ever since I met either one of you!"

"Trust me; I'm putting a stop to that"

"Stop the bike"

"No, I'm driving you home…end of discussion" Felicity was silent for the rest of the ride home.

* * *

"It's not your decision what I do with my life" was the first thing she said when they were back in her house. Oliver had removed the hood and mask when she had closed all windows and curtains.

"No but when you decide to do something as stupid as that, then it's my business"

"I don't see why"

"Felicity your safety is _always _important to me and you know that, but yet you keep going behind both mine and Digg's backs doing things like walking through the Glades _at night _alone…and you wonder why we worry about you so much…both of us have lost someone close to us and we don't want the same to happen to you"

"Don't start that again-" when he tried to interrupt she continued, ignoring him "-look Oliver I really don't want to have this conversation again…I did something that you aren't comfortable with but so what, both you and Digg do things I'm not comfortable with and you don't see me exploding like this"

"Felicity you know the answer to that" he ground out.

"If you want someone to protect and pretend to be a bodyguard or whatever you do…then do it with Laurel because unlike me she actually likes having you stalking around her every night"

"Is that what you're pissed at me about, Laurel?" At his statement, she threw her head back growling and hid her face in her hands.

"It's not about Laurel! What it's about is the fact that everyone's acting like I'm some fine-wound china that could break at any moment and that does something to a person"

"We're just protecting you"

"You know what I can't be bothered to fight right now, I'm tired"

"Yeah well so am I, look all any one's trying to do is to protect you because we don't want you ending up like the rest of us…battered, broken, lost. You're innocence brings a sense of relief to the team and all of us cherish that and if we lost you then we ourselves would be lost Felicity, we use you to guide us through hard times because you are always there by our sides every day, whenever we need you and we don't want to lose that" Oliver began pacing back and forth, rambling while Felicity just stood there trying her best to take it all in without making him even more upset.

"We can't lose you, I can't lose you…ever since day 1, you've been taking me to a place that I'm not familiar with and it chases all the bad in my life away. You see me in a way that I don't even see, where I see a murderer you see a hero and I've been wracking my brain ever since I met you trying to figure it out…been trying to figure you out. Every single time you're in the lair with everyone else, we're happy…_you _make us happy and sometimes you don't even realise that you're doing it but you are…" Oliver trailed off.

She realised that he wasn't going to be stopping any time soon and she _really _wanted to go to bed, literally her brain was screaming at her to go to sleep while she thought her body could collapse at any moment.

* * *

Later on when she looked back, she would say it was the dreariness that possessed her to do it but honestly she would never know.

Sighing Felicity waltzed right up to Oliver, cradled his face and kissed him. Pulling back she had to bit her bottom lip to contain the laughter bubbling up in her throat.

He looked like he'd just seen a ghost.

Breathing deeply, she told him.

"As much as I would love to just sit and watch you rambling away, I _really _need to go to sleep…because right now, my body feels like it's about to collapse in a pile on the floor…so, yeah night"

When she glanced back over her shoulder at him, she smirked at how he was still frozen in place, staring off after her.

"Why did you kiss me?" he asked when she had her hand on the start of the banister, running up her staircase. She hadn't expected him to ask her that question until the next time he saw her.

The surprising question made her halt in her tracks. Upon hearing his footsteps behind her, snapped Felicity out of her state of mind.

"Mostly, to shut you up…like I said, I'm really tired" turning around, Felicity saw just how close he was to her, his face a short distance away from her own.

"So it wasn't because of anything else?"

"Not that I can think of…it was just to get to shut up, hence the reason I said it…it didn't mean anything, not every kiss does" honestly Felicity didn't really want this conversation right now. What she wanted was her bed.

"I mean…" she searched for an example, staring off into space "…when…you kissed Laurel goodbye, that didn't mean anything from what you told me, it was just a goodbye kiss that's it…so that was just a shut-up-I'm-tired-and-want-to-go-to-bed kiss nothing else"

Her foot inched closer to the bottom step, trying to slowly edge her way closer to her bedroom.

"I don't believe that" Oliver moved closer to her, erasing the distance she'd just made.

"Then what do you believe? Look can we continue this another time because I'm going to end up falling asleep on the stairs"

"If you do then I'll carry you up"  
"Not the point"  
"Just answer this...did it mean anything to you?"

"You're asking me to search my brain for the answers when it's slowly shutting down on me?"

"Fe-li-ci-ty" he strained her name.

"Fine…I'm not sure what it meant"

"I think it meant something"

"Well there you go then…there's your answer, can I go up to bed now? Or are you going to deprive me of sleep any longer?" she asked sarcastically, rising her eyebrow and tilting her head to the side.

For a second she swore he slowly leant closer to her, or was she just seeing things.

All of sudden she felt him crash his lips against hers, one arm banded around her waist coming to rest on her hip while the other came around her shoulders. Positioning her head to allow him to deepen the kiss, the arm that was wrapped around her shoulders moved to around her neck, cushioning her head from where it was tilted to the side.

In this position it limited her access to pull away from both Oliver and the kiss, leaving him in total control of how long it lasted for.

Realising that she probably wasn't going to be getting out of the kiss for a while, Felicity wrapped both his arms around his torso but she wasn't quite sure if it was from making sure he didn't suddenly drop her or to pull him even closer. He was currently devouring her mouth, tongues fighting for dominance, for control.

Pulling away silently for air, Felicity's brain seemed to take the chance to rid her mind of the current thought.

"Well so much for sleeping then" as soon as it was out of her mouth Felicity's eyes shut tight while she could feel Oliver's chest rumbling, he was laughing. "You do realise that I blame you for my brain to mouth filter going out of order again"

"Well I actually like it when it's out of order; it makes these kinds of moments much less awkward on my end"

"I hate you and not just from the way you basically kidnapped me from the side of the street"

"Can you blame me?"

"If you haven't currently noticed, that's what_ I am_ doing"

"Still tired or have you got a sudden perk of energy?"

"Wouldn't you like to know"

Wait. Was she flirting?

She, Felicity Smoak, was flirting with Oliver Queen and actually good at it. She never would've thought she would be saying that to herself and by herself she meant in her mind, where she mostly says things about others but her brain to mouth filter just manages to stop her from saying them out loud. Looks like it doesn't completely hate her.

"I'd watch yourself if I were you" Jesus Christ, what the hell was happening here? She was flirting with him and he was flirting back. _Shut up brain! _

"Or what?" Felicity teased.

_No, no, no stop it! _Stop flirting with him! You know what could possibly do, back away and go to bed…alone!

Where's the fun in that?

_You could lose him as a friend, _do you really want that? Say you're too tired to do any more and back _the hell _away from him, right now.

When did my brain turn into a normal mother's brain?

It's called common sense!

No it's not, it's called _being cautious_!

Everything happened so quickly, one moment he was devishly smirking at her and the next lifting her up clean off the floor and carrying her upstairs. Out of impulse, Felicity wrapped her legs around his waist to keep her from falling but didn't seem to take in how when she did, how her hips grinded into his and got a throaty growl- almost Arrowy -out of his.

Uh oh, now she was in trouble.

Backing the pair into the nearest wall, Oliver's mouth latched onto hers as he pulled back into the pre-island senses to guide them to her bedroom.

Stumbling into the bedroom Felicity barely managed to close the door before they landed on her bed. Oliver crawled further up the bed with her still attached securely to his chest.

Placing both his arms on either side of her head, he hovered above her by his powerful forearms. She trusted him, he knew that.

Giving in to the overwhelming impulses coursing her body every time his tongue stroked hers. Felicity let herself go. Their forgotten clothes ending up in a pile on the floor beside the bed and her glasses lying on the bedside table.

From that point on was a complete blur to her, maybe the weariness was fully kicking in but she wouldn't forget the way Oliver acted like she was so fragile, gently running his hands over her body.

* * *

When the break of dawn finally came after the heated night, he was first to wake.

The sun was streaming in through the window.

Directing his gaze to the radiant woman lying sprawled over his chest, wrapped up safely in his arms. Her golden hair flowing over his chest, legs entwined with his own and completely free of any ounce of clothing.

In that one moment she would give anything to wake up to such beauty every day for the rest of his life because it was then he finally knew what was meant by true love, that was all he felt for the woman who had always been by his side, day in and day out. Moments from the night before graced his memory, how it felt to have her beneath him and they were one. All it was them, Felicity Smoak and Oliver Queen two different people from two different lives trying to find their ways in the world.

The alarm on his phone sounded, breaking him out of the trance. Reaching over, being careful not to wake the sleeping blonde in his arms, he shut the alarm off.

For once in his life, all he wanted was right there in that moment.

Sending Digg a quick text notifying him that neither him nor Felicity would be in for work that day, he turned the device off and turned his attention back to the love of his life and drifted back off to the promise of the beginning of a new life.


	7. The Sleeper

**Alright so this is a bit of a longer trope than my other ones but I'm curious to see if this one works out and you guys like it. Any prompts you want me to write a story to, send me a PM or a review with your prompt and see what things my brain comes up with. **

"What if Oliver finds out?" Roy was always the voice of worry whenever it came to Oliver, since he was going out with his little sister.

"I don't think you need to worry about him, Thea is pretty much taking care of him…he's going to be with her the entire time and they're not going to be there" Felicity threw over her shoulder while her fingers didn't falter in their speed, dancing across the keyboard.

"Well we definitely know who the boss is here don't we" Digg mused, cleaning his gun as Felicity turned and threw a smirk his way.

"And don't you forget it"

"I feel sorry for that man right now…oh wait on second thought, no I don't…he deserves everything that's coming to him"

"So just one last run through, what's the plan that I'm probably going to be regretting later on?"

"Digg it'll be fine and things go south, Roy will be there for backup and you'll be outside in the van on the comms the entire time…I'm going to go in as try and get his interest…which with the dress I've chosen won't be a problem…he'll invite me into the back room, and I'll knock him out, plant the bug then get out and say he had too much to drink"

"What if he recognises you?"

"I wouldn't worry about that I've got it covered…now if you boys don't mind" Felicity grabbed the duffle bag that was sitting by her feet "I'm going to get dressed" she said before making her way to the bathroom.

* * *

Making sure she couldn't overhear the conversation, Roy moved in front of Digg's desk.

"I'm not so sure about this whole thing and the fact that she doesn't want Oliver in on it doesn't make it any less easy to wrap my head around"

"Don't worry kid you're not the only one and with the thing about Oliver, she's not telling him because both of us know that he will make a big deal out of this and do something that will get on her last nerve, he always hates when she goes out in the field but when she's going undercover then that's even worse…we just have to make sure we have eyes on her up to when she goes into the back room and when she comes out, she'll be on the comms the entire time so she's going to keep that on"

It took twenty minutes for Felicity to put her entire outfit together.

* * *

The bathroom door clicked open; it gained the attention of both of the men, whose jaws dropped when they saw her. If they didn't know that was Felicity, they wouldn't even recognise her.

"Judging by your reactions I'm guessing I did choose the right dress"

"Good idea…and Felicity I don't think you have to worry about not getting the guys interest, you've already got mine" that earned his a slap over the back of the head by Digg.

"Watch your mouth kid"

"Just thought I'd say it"

"Thanks Roy, now you guys ready?"

"I still think this isn't such a good plan"

"Well let's get going then"

* * *

He'd been trying to get out of this all night but no matter what he did, it was no use. When Thea wants to spend a night with you, she'll get what she wants.

"Ollie can we go to a different club, this one's _so boring_…I know one just a little bit down the road from here"

"Sure I guess" as they made their way down the other club, Oliver was in for one hell of a surprise.

* * *

"Felicity, are you sure about this? You can still back out if you want"

"No, I'm good"

"You do realise Oliver's probably going to lock you up in a padded room for a good few right?"

"And probably swallow the key so anyone who'd want to get to you would have to go through him first" Roy joked.

"You're just lucky that he couldn't escape his sister tonight otherwise this would be very interesting to watch…so we're in agreement, don't tell Oliver"

"I see him"

"I've got eyes on him too, he's heading over to the bar"

"Felicity, be careful…I'm hacking into the security cameras right now, alright I'm in…Felicity you're up"

"If he does anything bad, tell me and I'll get you out of there"

Making a noise to let them both know she heard them, Felicity focused on the main task ahead. Little did she know that this would become more difficult than she had originally expected.

"Martini and one for the lady" a voice made her turn her attention to the man coming to stand on her right. Leaning up with his back up against the bar, his attention was fully on her. Well she had gotten his interest, now for the next step.

Giving him a smile, she guided her attention to the fruity cocktail that had just been placed in front of her.

"Thanks"

"Richard Jones" he leaned in and lowered his head to her ear, to whisper to her.

"Jessica Samuels" she replied after a few seconds.

"Well Jessica how would you like to have a little fun tonight?" turning her gaze to him, locking eye contact. She softened her features and tilted her head slightly.

"And what would you have in mind, Mr. Jones?" that seemed to have him hooked.

"Why don't you let me worry about that Ms. Samuels…if I may?" he held out his hand. Giving it a glance, she placed her hand gentle into his. His fingers caged around her own.

"And I wonder why that is…got something to hide?" she heard both Digg and Roy's sharp intake of breath but it didn't put her off.

"Not that I know off, do you?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" he seemed intrigued by her, good then her act was working.

"Would you like to dance?"

"And here I thought you would never ask"

"Well we don't want that" placing a hand on her bare back, he led Felicity over to the dance floor where people were grinding up against each other. Great, this wasn't going to awkward at all.

* * *

"Thea I thought you weren't a fan of this place?"

"Yeah well I thought you said you weren't a fan on alcohol?"

"Alcohol's the only thing getting me through this night" Oliver muttered under his breath.

Making his way straight over to the bar, Oliver looked to the dance floor at the various women allowing their dance partner to grind himself up against them. When he was younger he used to be in awe at so many beautiful women but now it just made him nauseous that he used to think that way.

"OMG Roy?" He heard Thea cry out, he scanned the crowd for the boy that usually wore a red hoodie and if he didn't know him then he wouldn't have recognised him in the suit. His line of sight seemed to be on the couple on the dance floor, and on a certain woman being grinded up against by the man dancing beside her. She wore a short black cocktail dress that ended just above her knees, held up by a shoulder strap. Her curly, copper-coloured hair cascaded down over her shoulders, framing her face. When she turned she revealed the dress was backless. The outfit was finished up by a pair of cute black pumps that had a load of rhinestones littered over them, making them sparkle when they were caught by the spotlights. Her makeup was simple yet elegant.

She looked so familiar yet he couldn't place it. But when his mind suddenly put the woman and Roy not taking his eyes off her, but not in the way the way he normally looked at other women with. Looking over at the woman again, the spotlight beamed on her for a second but that was all he needed to put two and two together.

Oh she was going to get it good.

* * *

"Oh shit, Digg we have a problem…guess who just walked in"

"Oh god now we're in deep trouble, do you still have eyes on Felicity?"

"Yes…uh Digg you're up, incoming girlfriend and very pissed off brother"

"Roy, what are you doing here?" Thea pulled him in for a very tight hug.

"Oh you know, looking around…seeing how many people fall off the dance floor, it's actually quite funny"

"Thea why don't you go buy yourself a drink, I just want to talk to Roy for a sec" if looks could kill, Roy would be long dead by now.

"Try not to kill each other"

"We'll try" when she was out of earshot, Oliver turned to Roy and switched to Arrow mode- as Felicity liked to call it, "What the hell are you doing here…you're on a mission aren't you?" Exhaling deeply, Roy confessed because he knew that he would end up dead if he didn't.

"What would you do if I said yes to that?"

"Please don't tell me you're here for that drug dealer guy" he began looking around the room, "Hold on, is that Felicity?" Roy knew he shouldn't have been looking directly at her, now he just gave her position away. "What the hell is she doing with him?!" he made towards the dance floor but Roy grabbed hold of his arm and hauled him back to his original position again.

"Oliver don't, you'll give her position away…she knows what she's doing alright"

"Is Digg on comms?" without even waiting for an answer, Oliver snatched the ear piece which caused Roy pain but he managed to hide it.

"Digg…what the hell is going on here?"

"Oliver, listen to me…stay calm, we've got her under surveillance…Roy's keeping an eye on her from the room and now you are too and I've hacked into the security cameras, she's good"

"Why _on Earth _did you let her do this in the first place?"

"Like Roy said, she knows what she's doing…this is her call Oliver, she's got it under control"

* * *

"How would you like to go somewhere more private?" they heard him whisper in the other ear, that was ear piece free.

The look on Oliver's face was murderous and Digg was recording every second of it for later purposes he knew would come in handy.

"Lead the way" when Felicity's response sounded through the comms Roy swore he heard Oliver's muscles contract, ready for a fight. This wasn't good.

When the drug dealer placed his hand on Felicity's lower back, inching closer and closer to her ass, Oliver clenched his hands into tight fists to control his rage towards that bastard. Turning to Roy, he still wore that look on his face that he had when he was about to kill someone. Uh oh.

"If anything goes wrong, neither one of you are stopping me"

"If anything goes wrong, I would gladly hold the bastard still while you beat the crap out of him" Roy stated and Digg made a noise of agreement, all three men were on the same page.

* * *

She kept her body nice and calm, if she was tense and nervous then the drug lord would immediately sense it.

To be honest she hated where his hand was, it had lowered considerably since the dance and now was resting just above her ass. All she wanted to do was turn and punch him in the face from his rudeness towards her, but she knew she couldn't because it would blow her cover.

"Just in here" as they made their way towards his office, Felicity took note of the guards that they passed by.

As soon as they turned the corner, he had her pushed up against the wall. His mouth was attacking hers, streaming heavy kisses across her jaw and down her throat. His hands were currently holding her tightly up against him, not leaving any gaps between them.

After she was sure that he wasn't paying her any attention she reached in her bra, where she had cleverly hidden the drug to knock the guys out, she ran her hands over his body and jabbed him with the dart but at the exact same time she felt a pinch on her thigh.

"What the hell…" he trailed off as he fell to the floor.

"Woops, my bad" she then heard all three men's relieved sigh.

"He out?" Digg's voice came through.

"Yep and I'm planting the bug…Digg you're up"

"Felicity, get out of there right now" Oliver said.

"Alright don't get your hoodie in a twist" both Digg and Roy snorted before they could anything to stop themselves.

Felicity began to feel weird, looking down she couldn't help the sharp intake of breath that followed.

"Felicity? What is it?"

No, no, no this wasn't happening, he couldn't have drugged her. Pulling herself together, Felicity tried keeping her breathing in steady breaths.

In, beat, out and repeat but nothing managed to calm her erratic heartbeat. Looking down, hanging out the side of her left thigh was a syringe that had a quarter left of the liquid inside. She felt her entire body freeze out of fear.

"Felicity…I'm coming in" his voice gave her a mental slap across the face that got her attention back to the mission and back to her current situation.

"No! I'm alright…he's knocked out; he just grabbed my ankle in his sleep that's all" she lied.

Pulling the syringe out of her leg, Felicity placed it carefully in her clutch that she had forgotten all about.

Over the years she's been working with Oliver and the team, she's improved at lying and she even convinced herself that it was the truth. She really didn't need someone fussing over her if she was drugged and besides none of them would let her leave the lair if she was, afraid that she'd collapse and something bad would happen.

It might not be the drug that was now in her system, he could be something else, she wasn't sure and she didn't have any evidence. All she needed was to keep herself calm right now but that had to wait until after she'd gotten herself out of harm's way. She made her way to the door.

Remembering that they were eight guards standing post outside his office and down the hall leading back to the main part of the club, she put on her drunken act.

Stumbling her way past the door, she threw her body in the direction of the second guard and pretend to slur out about how he had had too many drinks and was passed out on the floor, she threw in a drunken giggle at the end and the guards ran into the room as she made her way back down the hallway and to the club.

When she was out of sight from the guards, the drunken act was no longer needed.

"I never thought that would actually work, huh, suckers"

"Felicity where are you?"

"Coming down the hallway back to the club, I think I'll be near the bar if I've got my bearings right and I probably have"

"You're not out of harm's way yet Felicity"

"Stop being a downer _Oliver_" she wasn't quite sure why she said his name like that but honestly, she didn't care.

She wanted to get out of this club right now and never look back.

She saw Oliver standing near the bar scanning the club for any sign of her. Coming up behind him, she prodded him in the shoulder which in turn made him jump slightly until he caught sight of her.

"Why'd you prod me?" he asked to her smirking face when she saw how much she'd made him jump.

"I dared myself to see if I could scare you, I thought you had ninja senses" she mused with a grin plastered all over her face.

"Oh ha ha, very funny…can we go now?"

"Wait, where's Roy?"

"Thea"

"Gotcha"

"Right, we're leaving _right now_" his arm came round right round her waist and settled on the side of her stomach.

"Grouchy much?"

"Well can you blame me when I find out that my friends have gone _behind my back _on some stupid mission and you've risked your life, you know he could've drugged you like his other victims" during his little speech his arm, that was locked around her waist and that was fastening her to him, had gotten tighter.

"You risk your life on missions all the goddamn time and now it was my turn and before you say anything, do I have to remind you that because it's _my life _and _my choice_, so deal with it"

They were walking down the alleyway towards the van that Digg was located in throughout the duration of the mission with Oliver's arm still attaching her to him.

Suddenly she felt very light-headed and the entire world began to spin. Her arm, that wasn't sandwiched between her and Oliver and wasn't holding onto her clutch, shot out to keep herself steady on her feet.

This sparked concern in Oliver instantly.

"Felicity? You alright?"

"Not sure, everything's spinning" she closed her eyes and tried to will the pain away.

"What happened in there?"

"He was drunk so I think he was harder than necessary" she knew she shouldn't be lying to him right now but she couldn't deal the extra security in that moment.

"Here put your arm around my neck" she did as he suggested and he immediately scooped her up into his arms and carried her the rest of the way towards the van. Climbing in, he settled her on his lap as she laid her head on his shoulder and turning her face into the crock of his neck.

Here we go.

"Felicity, you alright?" Digg glanced in the mirror to the pair in the back.

"Yeah I think some rest is seriously needed, that's all"

"Oh believe me; you'll be resting for a while if I have anything to say about it"

"That's nice" Felicity's head began getting lighter, this couldn't be good.

"Felicity?" Oliver's concerned voice echoed around in her head.

Opening her eyes, she tilted her head up to lock eye contact with him. She was losing the battle and she knew that.

Might as well get it over with.

Reaching over to her clutch, Felicity pulled out the one-quarter-full syringe and passed it to Oliver, whose eyes widened as soon as saw the colour of the liquid. His hand clenched around the syringe and she swore he was going to crush it in his hand right here, right now.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" his voice came out harsh but his eyes gave him away.

"Too much worry…from everyone…couldn't deal…" her sentence trailed off as a wave of exhaustion hit her. Cuddling closer to Oliver, Felicity's eyes shut of their own accord.

"Felicity! Open your eyes, you have to stay awake!" Felicity knew that but in that moment, her body felt like it was so heavy, as did her eyes. "No, no, no…Felicity!"

She remembered snippets of what happened after, Oliver roaring at Digg to drive faster to the club, clambering out the back with her cradled in his arms, laying her on the med-bay, connecting her up to all the machines then nothing.

* * *

_When she opened her eyes, everything felt strange. What the hell is going on? _

_"Felicity" somebody was saying her name in a sing-songy voice. When her eyes focused on the thing, no scratch that, person above her…she was a loss for words._

_"Tommy?" she stuttered out. _

_He smiled at her._

* * *

"Digg what the hell was in that syringe?" Oliver didn't know what to do, so he took possession of her left hand, encasing it in his large one.

"Oh shit…" Digg muttered so Oliver couldn't hear him.

"What is it?"

Turning to Oliver, Digg stepped aside so he had a free view of the computer monitor with the liquid on screen. No, no, no.

"No!" he turned his attention to the sleeping I.T girl currently lying unconscious on the med-bay under the influence of 'The Sleeper', the drug they had been trying to stop people being injected by. "Felicity! Wake up! Please…please Felicity, open your eyes!" Oliver tried again to wake her but to no avail. There hasn't been _one _victim that has survived being dosed with the drug.

The drug shut the body down but the brain was still very much active, so it was like the victim was dreaming…but couldn't wake up unless they wanted to. All the victims that had been dosed had been killed soon after being dosed with the drug, never even knowing what hit them until it was too late to stop it from taking over their system.

"Oliver…" Digg began, he wasn't sure if was going to be able to say this to him but he had to know, "…Oliver there's a good chance that she's not going to be waking up" Digg was struggling to rein in the tears that were gathering, threatening to fall.

"NO! Sh-sh-she…can't…she can't die…I can't…" Oliver collapsed onto the floor.

Right now he could only watch Felicity fight a battle, she didn't even know she was fighting, for her life and the worst part was that he couldn't do anything to help her through it. In all those years, the shipwreck, the island, Slade…he had never felt as afraid as he did right now because he was being threatened with a nightmare. A life without Felicity Smoak.

He was as good as dead.

* * *

_"Tommy?" she couldn't believe it. There was no way he was leaning over her right now, she was dreaming._

_"Sorry Felicity but I need you to concentrate right now" he seemed focused on something but she didn't know what it was._

_"You're dead…I heard you die…Oliver…he…how?" Felicity trailed off, not believing that the very _late _Tommy Merlyn was currently having a conversation with her right now. What happened to her?_

_"Look we don't have a lot of time right now…but right now you're under the influence of 'The Sleeper' drug that you were trying to stop from being injected into several other victims of Starling and if you don't wake up soon…then you're going to be joining them, you need to wake up"_

_"Tommy, what are you talking about?" _

_What kind of a dream was this? _

_"Felicity…listen to me…you can't leave him or Digg behind, they need you…Oliver can't lose the one person that holds both his worlds together, or he's going to completely lose it"_

_"Oliver…me…his glue…no Tommy you've got it all wrong, I'm not the woman he loves Laurel is…I'm just tech support"_

_"Wow and I thought you were supposed to be the smart one…he really must've messed with your head hasn't he?" _

_"Tommy what the hell are you talking about?" this caused him to roll his eyes at her and groan._

_"Slade, the mansion…you do realise that Oliver sucks at lying right?" she froze, well this just got awkward._

_"Wha-" she couldn't find the words, for once in her life…she was speechless._

_"Did you really think he didn't love you?"_

_"Tommy…please don't go there…I've spent ages trying to get over the whole mansion-Slade thing and erase it from my memory" _

_"Fine…if he doesn't love you then explain that to me" he motioned behind her with his hand. Swivelling her body, which was still in her original position on the floor, round to see what Tommy was pointing. _

_When she saw what he was referring to, she felt like she'd been socked in the gut. _

_Oliver was on the floor with his back leant right up against the wall, tears freely streaming down his face. He was making no move to control his emotions, that wasn't something she saw him normally do. His gaze was fused onto the med-bay where her body currently laid, motionless. _

_Was Tommy telling the truth?_

_"Oh Oliver" it broke her heart seeing him like this. Turning to Digg, who was standing there with his fists up against his mouth, that wasn't something he normally did either. In fact, she had never seen him like this before. They looked distraught over what was happening. _

_Directing her line of sight to the med-bay, her breath hitched in her throat. She looked so broken, so vulnerable, so helpless, and defenceless just lying there. She now knew what was happening. She was dying. _

_If she didn't wake up soon, she would be joining those victims that had suffered through this same exact experience. _

_"Guys?!" Felicity heard Roy's voice come from the top of the stairs. _

_Upon entering, she saw how he looked over to both Digg and Oliver, sharing a look with Digg before guiding his gaze to the body on the table. "No, god please no…she's not" she watched as his face screwed up. "NO!" Roy screamed as the mirakuru still left in him stoked a fire within him, he stormed over to one of the nearby desks and flipped it over. _

_Looking round the lair, Felicity saw Tommy sitting in one of the vacant computer chairs standing stationary behind the weapons desk. _

_"Now you know…Felicity this is how much you mean to all of them" Tommy glanced over again at Oliver, the fight had completely left him, leaving him empty and broken. _

_"I didn't…I didn't know" _

* * *

The lair was completely silent.

This wasn't supposed to be happening. This _couldn't _happen! She was supposed to be safe; he was supposed to protect her! He promised himself he would protect her and look what he failed to do.

He didn't have the strength to hold it back anymore, the tears were stinging his eyes and the dam finally broke.

Tears trailed down his face and in that moment he didn't care if he looked weak or pathetic, he couldn't exist without her. She was his rock. The one thing that he could fall back on when times got too tough for him to bear alone. She always had his back, and the one thing that he supposed to do…he failed her.

He had failed Felicity Smoak and now the death of his girl would be on him.

His control was slowly withering away. Forcing himself onto his feet, Oliver made his way over to her too still, too silent body and gathered her form into his arms and returned to original position.

Holding her close to him, his sob wracked both their bodies. Burrowing his face deep into her neck, his senses were flooded by her scent.

Lavender.

The body wash he had bought her once for her birthday because he wasn't sure on what to get her, so he complied with a complete bathroom set for her.

Strawberries and cream.

He could taste her shampoo. It was his favourite along with the peaches and apricot shampoo.

Oliver had believed that by keeping her at arms distance would protect her and would protect him from allowing his feelings for her to swamp him. He hated every second of it, pushing her away. Yet at the time it seemed like the right thing to do.

When he had said those three words to her in the mansion, he was telling the truth every second. Who was he kidding; he couldn't lie to save his life.

* * *

_Felicity hated the fact that she was causing them all so much pain but what was really a knife to the gut was how Oliver was now cradling her against him, rocking them both back and forth. _

_"I know how you feel…when I…left him behind, it hurt so much having to watch as he fled back to Lian Yu…how much it just took a part of him away…thank you by the way, for giving him something to focus on…something to ground himself" _

_"It wasn't just me, Digg's part of the team"_

_"You really don't get it do you?" she seemed confused by this so he continued "He used you to give himself something to fight for, something to _live _for…without you, he would've probably turned on Slade with nothing but vengeance and anger but you taught him to see with another light…so thank you for that"_

_"I would've done anything for him that he asked of me"_

_"Felicity" he placed both hands on her shoulders and turned her towards him "He needs you, now more than ever, they all do…so I think it's time you woke up and went home… just do me a favour…don't forget me"_

_"Tommy…it's you who I should be thanking not the other way around…and besides do you really think the world is going to forget Thomas Merlyn? That is officially _impossible _to do" _

_"I see what he sees in you…you really are unique…never lose sight of that, and you'll do okay" he took a deep breath, "Felicity…look after him for me, and tell him I love him, he's always been my brother" _

_"Thank you Tommy" Felicity threw her arms around his neck and he embraced her in a tight hug, she leant towards his ear and whispered, "I promise" which made Tommy bury his face in her neck. _

_"Never change, the world needs more Felicity Smoak's to brighten it up..." Tommy whispered back. Felicity felt herself begin to feel as light as a feather and before she closed her eyes, she heard Tommy whisper 'thank you'. _

* * *

He wasn't sure how long he had spent, crying into her neck but he didn't care. He couldn't lose this woman from his life. Just when another round of sobs ended, Oliver felt a gentle beat thumping away. He froze. Was she? Could she?

Pulling back from her some, so he could see her face, which was currently resting against his shoulder, Oliver studied her for any sign of movement.

* * *

She felt like she had just been asleep for centuries. Was she in a fairy tale now?

Her eyes opened a smidge. Things were too blurry. She felt, what she thought was, the ground beneath her body slowly rise and fall deeply.

A groan escaped her throat and was replied with "Felicity?" That got her to open her eyes more to reveal two deep blue orbs staring at her. Without hesitation, she knew who they belonged to.

"Ol'ver-" her throat was dry as a bone, making it harder for her to speak so her speech slurred together.

"Felicity!" suddenly she being pulled in for a tight embrace. Eyes fluttering open completely, she blinked before everything finally went back to normal once again.

"You're awake!" more voices came from behind her but Oliver's strong arms were holding her in place, so she couldn't turn to the following voices.

When he finally released her, Felicity saw Digg and Roy kneeling in front of her. Then everything was moving again.

A straw met her chapped lips, glancing up he held a glass of water for her. The cool liquid refreshed her throat, bringing a sense of relief to her parched throat.

Wetting her lips, Felicity glanced around the room. She was in the lair. Wait, had she actually seen Tommy or was she just hallucinating like Oliver had done a while back.

"How do you feel?" Digg's voice got her attention. Right she hadn't said a word yet.

"Weird…tired" her voice sounded different but you couldn't really expect anything else from the length of time she's been sleeping for…speaking of which. "How long have I been out?"

"18 hours" Roy supplied.

She was still lying in Oliver's lap, on the floor. Well this is an interesting experience, I'll tell you that.

"Honestly, I think I just want to go to sleep properly this time…huh, I'm still tired and I've been out for 18 hours"

"Don't worry its normal…but for now, let's get you to bed" she gave Digg a quick smile.

"Thank you…all three of you" she was finding it difficult to keep her eyes properly open.

When she tried to slip out of his lap, his grip on her just tightened all the more. Cradling her against his chest, he rose to his feet.

"I've got you" Oliver's voice didn't sound the same either.

"Oliver I think I can manage to get myself back home on my own"

"I've got you" he repeated, masking his features like he always did with her. Ever since the whole Slade incident, Oliver had been weirder around her. Not acting like his usual self, this was both a blessing and a curse.

Saying goodnight to both Digg and Roy, Oliver carried Felicity out of the lair and over to his car, bridal style.

* * *

Oliver had been silent the entire drive home. She had her attention to the buildings and streets passing her window. His hand reaching over to clutch her left hand broke her out of her reverie.

Looking over at him, his eyes were fixed on the road. Sighing, this was going to be a long trip to her house.

When he had parked up in her driveway, Felicity went to open the door but he got there before she could. She didn't even notice him exiting the driver's side of the car. Bloody ninja skills.

Oliver carried her to her bedroom in absolute and complete silence. _It was agonising_.

"Thanks but I think I got it from here" he had covered her with her duvet and fluffed her pillows for her.

"I'll take the couch" he just continued to act weird.

"Really I got it"

"Felicity just don't" he had that warning tone in his voice but she wasn't giving up so lightly.

"Oliver what's up with you? You haven't been acting like yourself since-"

"Since you almost got yourself killed? Since you almost ended up another victim of that bloody drug? Since I almost lost you from my life"

"Since I woke up" Felicity clarified. "Is that why you're pissed at me? Because I went out in the field without you knowing?"

"Dammit Felicity…you could've been killed today and you're just going to pass it off like nothing major happened?" he began pacing the room. "Felicity I don't think you know exactly what you did tonight"

"Oliver…just…stop, you don't get to say that because if you haven't noticed this is exactly what you do everything single night…go on missions, put your life on the line, almost get yourself killed...at least I didn't flat line on that blasted table!"

"I COULD'VE LOST YOU!" that got her to shut up, "you just collapsed in my arms in the back of the car…when I saw you on that table, completely motionless…_I couldn't breathe Felicity _because I didn't even know if I was going to even see you open your eyes again…so yeah I'm mad at you for everything that happened to you over the 19 hours! But the worst part was knowing that there was that possibility for me to lose you from my life and that scared the shit out of me alright!"

"Now you know how I feel every single time you put that hood on and go out on one of your missions" she countered but her gaze was fixed on the wall ahead of her.

"Felicity what the hell is wrong with you!"

"I SAW TOMMY ALRIGHT!" her breathing became laboured and she felt she was about to have a heart attack.

"What?" his voice was small and timid. Closing her eyes and throwing her head back, making a gentle thud, she began to think maybe she shouldn't have said anything at all. But now she had gone and told him. "Felicity…what, do you mean?"

"At first I didn't know what the hell was happening to me…everything felt like it was happening from above the surface and I was the one drowning…but when I opened my eyes, I saw Tommy leaning over me and looking straight at me…he told me that I was under the influence of the drug and if I didn't wake up then I would be the next victim to turn up dead…he showed me some things in my life and where I stand with them…told me to tell you that he always loved you and considered you his brother…and not to forget him" when she opened her eyes, she saw tears brimming in the corners of his eyes.

She hated herself for telling him that.

But as he just stared at her, something inside her snapped and all of sudden she was throwing back the covers and running from the room and from Oliver, she wasn't sure where the burst of speed came from but she wasn't going to stop and question it.

Not sure where she was planning on going at midnight, Felicity ran from her house, leaving Oliver behind her probably still stunned, and just ran.

The entire time, she hadn't seemed to notice that instead of her work clothes, she was wearing an extra pair of clothes she had packed in case of emergencies. Her tank top, yoga pants and white and purple trainers.

"FELICITY!" she could hear him behind her but her body seemed to know where it was taking her.

She wasn't sure _why _she was running away from _Oliver_, he'd done nothing wrong but it didn't seem to faze her as she continued running.

She'd never thought that she would be so grateful for trying out for the cross country team in high school ever in her life, but as she ran through the park all she could think about was not stopping.

The streets were empty, everyone tucked up in bed asleep but not her.

Maybe she was just trying to run away from all the awkwardness of what had happened with Slade, partnering it up there with Russia and the 'I think it's best to not be with somebody that I could really care about' bullshit speech.

Maybe she was just trying to run away from every problem she had kept bottled up inside her for ages or was it the fact that she had just been through something that she wasn't even sure happened. She could've been dreaming the entire thing up but something told her it _was _real, that is _did _happen but she wasn't sure.

Felicity was so mind-whirled that she didn't hear Oliver's rapidly incoming footsteps or the fact that she had made the mistake of slowing her pace down a tad, giving him the opportunity to catch up with her.

His arms snaked around her waist and he lifted her feet clear off the ground.

"Let me go!" she attempted to wriggle her way out of his grasp but it was no use, he was too strong.

"No, not happening…I've been letting you go for far too long" he held her solidly against his own body until she finally stopped trying to escape him, then he loosened up his grip but never made any move to let her go. "Felicity, where are you going?" shutting her eyes up tight, she muttered.

"I don't know…anywhere but here"

"Felicity if I put you down now, will you promise me you won't run off again?"

"What's the point if you're going to just catch me anyway?"

"Jesus Christ you're fast and hard to catch" he stated, putting her back on her feet again. They both sat down on a nearby bench with Felicity facing forwards and Oliver facing her.

"That's the point of running _away _from something, you don't intend for them to catch up with you"

"Why are you running?"

"I'm just sick and tired of all this goddamn awkwardness buzzing around ever since Slade, that's why alright"

"Did you mean it?"

"Mean what?"

"Tommy" at his name, she froze, ignoring eye contact with Oliver. Getting to her feet, she walked forwards a bit before turning to him, her arms wrapping round herself like a shield. This didn't go unnoticed.

"Honestly I don't even know if it actually happened or if I'm just going insane" by this point, she had her back turned to him and was now facing the moon out over the lake, reflecting off the water.

What she didn't expect was for him to walk up behind her and once again wrap his arms round her waist, pulling her back into him.

Leaning down to whisper in her ear, she couldn't help the shudder that ran through her.

"I believe you and thank you"

"For what?"

"Reminding me of the things that count…Felicity, I love you" she tried to spin round but he wouldn't let her, so instead she just tried to put as much distance between him and her as she could.

"Don't say that"

"Why not, it's the truth…Felicity, I wasn't lying then…I love you and I have loved you for a really long time, I just wouldn't let myself admit it in fear you might be hurt because of me" he erased the small distance she had tried to put between them, fusing their bodies together.

Just when she thought things couldn't get any more interesting, he spun her round and pulled her into him, seeking her lips out with his own.

That, she hadn't expected.

The original idea of a _gentle _kiss turned into a deep and passionate one when she had wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in closer to her.

It was official, he was addicted to Felicity Smoak and now that he had kissed her once, he wouldn't be able to stop. Pulling away from her, he gained his voice even though it was breathy.

"How about we go back home" she felt her heart twang at his choice of wording.

Not able to find the words, she just settled for nodding her head. With that he scooped her up in his arms and carried her back towards her house.

As Oliver carried her back down the path, Felicity turned her head over his shoulder. Something she didn't realise was that if he hadn't of caught her; she would've been heading straight into the cemetery.

She wasn't sure if she was going insane but she swore she saw the figure of a man, that looked suspiciously identical to Tommy, leant up against the main gate of the cemetery. In that moment Felicity was certain that she would never be able to forget Tommy and what he had done for her.

* * *

So five years later when Felicity Queen gives birth to Oliver Queen's son, Thomas Robert Queen, and lying in that hospital bed with her husband asleep beside her and her son nestled against her chest, she smiles at the memory of when _'Uncle Tommy had rescued the damsel in distress' _as she would tell her son the story in years to come.

Little does she know, Tommy is smiling down at his best friend's beginnings of a new family.


	8. Changing POV

**So shoutout to ChaiGrl for the prompt for this trope, hope you enjoy reading this one. It'll be cool if it really did happen in the show though. As always please _review_ and send it any prompts and I'll give you a shoutout. **

"How do you think he's going to take it when he wakes up?"

"I'm not sure how he or anyone for that matter can react positively to this"

Felicity, Digg and Roy were all standing around the med-bay where an unconscious Oliver currently laid. It was supposed to be a simple mission but then someone decided to surprise a certain vigilante with some sort of chemical and if Roy hadn't have been nearby then he probably would've gotten away with something else.

A low groaning brought the team's attention to the waking man on the table.

* * *

He felt like he'd been the victim of a stampede. Digg's voice filled his head. Groaning, his eyes slowly opened but everything was pitch-black. _What the hell?_

"Who turned off the lights?" his question was answered by the silence but thanks to his training he could sense his team around him.

"What can you remember?" part of him relaxed when he heard her voice but was then replaced by tension when he heard the hesitation hidden in her words. Closing his eyes, he tried to recall the memories of their last mission.

"We were at an abandoned building…someone surprised me and sprayed me with some sort of chemical…Roy knocked him out…then I woke up here…why what happened?"

He heard her sigh before answering him, which wasn't a good sign at all.

"Felicity…tell me"

"You remembered most of what happened…but after Roy knocked him out, you were unconscious…he brought you back here and we checked what the man had sprayed you with and the results weren't too good. If you get the chemical anywhere near your eyes then it gives the person temporary blindness for 48 hours…you been asleep for 4 hours since you were sprayed with it, so it'll wear off in about 44 hours"

Oliver was sure everything just stopped. _What now?_

"…no…I-I can't be blind, I need to be out there protecting my city…not stuck in here"

"Oliver if you don't then it'll just become even worse"

His response was to throw his head back onto the table will a dull thud.

"So now what?"

"We're going to take care of the city until you're back on your feet…but someone's going to be on-hand if you need them" with that the lair returned to the empty silence once again.

"You okay?" her hand came up to cradle his cheek, he turned into her warmth radiating off her. "Hey it's going to be alright…trust me"

Trailing her arm back up to her body, he wrapped his arms round her waist and pulled himself to her and further into her embrace. Without hesitation Felicity pulled him closer to her.

"I'll always trust you…" his face burrowed into her stomach "…can I stay with you?" taking how she didn't seem to freeze or tense up, she took the thought of him in her house pretty well.

"Sure" his body sagged in relief. "Let me know when you want to head out"

"Thank you Felicity"

"I'm always here when you need me"

And she was.

* * *

Later that night she guided him through her townhouse towards the bedroom. If he could see her face in that moment with the implication that he was going to be sleeping in her bed, in her house then she would've been bright red.

They came up with a way of her guiding him but in a kind of subtle way. When they were walking, he took possession of her left arm, just above her elbow.

"Here you go…bed's right in front of you…let me know if you need anything"

Honestly, Felicity's never really known Oliver to be _that _quiet.

"Thank you _again_…um…Felicity? Would you be able to sleep with me…I mean not _with _me…just beside me, if you can…it's just I don't think I want to be alone tonight…" Oliver trailed off when he heard Felicity failing at trying to hide her giggles. "What?"

"I thought you didn't ramble when you got nervous?"

"How do you never fail to make me smile?" he had a huge smile plastered on his face.

"Part of my natural charm I suppose"

"I think it's just you in general"

That night he didn't need his sight to know how lucky he was to fall asleep beside Felicity but it wasn't the only time, the next night they spent wrapped in each other's embrace.

* * *

When dawn broke, Oliver opened his eyes and was met by the most breath taking sight he had ever seen. The sun was streaming in through the windows, lighting up the room while Felicity was sprawled out over his chest, her golden blonde locks spread out across his chest.

When he and Thea were kids, she used to believe in Father Christmas, Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny and his mother had told him that that was the most magical years in a person's life but he didn't seem to understand that until now.

This, being here right now with Felicity was all the magic he needed in his life and that's all he ever wanted. To wake up every single day of his life with this remarkable woman by his side. He could feel her slowly stirring. Her eyes fluttered open, brilliant blue orbs greeted him.

"Morning"

"Morning"

"How you feeling?"

"Better than ever"

"I'm glad"

"Me too"

* * *

It's a little ironic if you think about it since it took him losing his sight to see what he was missing out on in his life.

**Leave me a review and tell me what you think.  
**


	9. One Sound Can Change An Entire LIfe

**I know I uploaded a chapter yesturday but I just decided screw it so here ya go. Hope you have fun reading this and _thank __you _for all the awesome reviews on my last update. As always please _review _and tell me what you think, they always give me something to look forward to when writing these. Btw _can't wait __for season 3 _OLICITY IS FINALLY HERE FOR THE WORLD TO SEE! :D XXXXX**

They say that one sound can change your entire life right before your very eyes. Well they're right.

Looking back on the events that had taken place, how could he have been so stupid? No scratch that, how can _she _have been so stupid?

* * *

That night they had been gathering evidence on a man to bring him and his filthy plans to justice. However, the catch was that they had to bring Felicity along with them because only she could gain access to the security system that held all the evidence so it had put them all on their toes.

Just when they thought everywhere was secure, several men came running from every direction so naturally they had all formed somewhat of a protective circle around Felicity, who hid under a nearby desk while uploading the necessary information onto a device she had designed for this type of situation then proceeded to upload it to the lair's secure severs.

Another man caught the corner of her eye. He snuck up beyond Oliver's line of sight. Felicity felt her heart begin to steadily increase until it felt like it was going to thud right out of her chest. Adrenaline flooded her veins and pumped hard throughout her body.

Her vision tunnelled straight to the man with the gun cocked and ready to blow on Oliver's unsuspected back.

Reaching out blindly, her hand wrapped around one of the pair of her heels she had ditched when she hid beneath the table.

Her next set of actions happened in one fluid motion.

Ducking out beneath the table, Felicity lobbed her heel towards the man's head. Perfect shot. It hit him square in the face, knocking him out of the killing-Oliver mode.

If she hadn't been so focused on the unexpected bastard with the gun, Felicity would've seen how the rest of the team's gazes seemed to follow her heel in mid-air and how it hit the man directly in the face or how they screamed out 'NO!' or how Oliver looked like he'd just seen a ghost and his body seemed to coil beneath his costume.

But her movements didn't falter as she full on sprinted towards the man and speared him in the gut but not before the sound of the gun going off echoed around the room. She felt nothing but rage at the thought of someone shooting Oliver, the one she loved the most but he never knew because he would never feel the same way about her, in the back. At that point, she didn't care if she took the bullet or if her entire being ceased to exist, _nobody _hurts Oliver on her watch.

They eventually stopped rolling and he tried once again to hurt someone, _anyone _that went against him and unfortunately for him that person was Felicity. Rolling on top of her, he raised his fist expecting to bring it down on her face but she beat him to the punch.

Lifting her hips, she raised both him and herself, off the ground and her hand came up, clenched into a tight fist. She wasn't quite sure where the self-defence moves came from, probably fuelled by her adrenaline.

Something she would never tell another living soul was the fact that her half-cousin in law (since he divorced her cousin, her own fault) used to teach her these types of moves except he hadn't taken the training lightly, so it was either fight and defend yourself or receive blow after blow to the face and body. But apparently it really kicked into her system like it had when she was younger. _She'd never tell him but she was always thankful for that, and the fact that he never landed any blows with his full force_.

He went with the movement of her fist so it allowed her the time to roll on top of him, wrapping her legs round his neck in the process, and flipping herself backwards, (her time as a gymnast in school really coming into play) landing him face down on the tarmac also, in effect, knocking him out. Her cousin would be proud.

That's when she felt it. A light tickle of her hand, upon looking down a drop of blood spread out across her palm. _Oh crap!_ She couldn't help the way her body seemed to tense up. His voice had snapped her out of her kick-ass mode and apparently her adrenaline was beginning to wear down.

"Felicity"

Something suddenly didn't feel right. She couldn't breathe properly.

* * *

The entire sight of Felicity kicking ass was like an electric shock to his system.

He had seen her come out from beneath the desk at the corner of her eye with a determined look in her eye and how her heel went flying across the room and landed a blow to a man he hadn't seen come up behind him. But apparently she did.

When he heard the gun go off, he swore his heart just stopped beating altogether. He hated that sound.

He wasn't sure how he felt when he witnessed the man rolling on top of her with his fist raised in the air or how Felicity hadn't even waited a second before answering back with a move of her own that he hadn't seen anyone teach her but he saw how she seemed to know exactly what to do.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

After she finally stood up, he hated how she seemed hesitant to turn around to face them. Surely she didn't think that they would ever judge her for something like that?

"Felicity?" from how her body tensed he knew that something wasn't right.

Her breathing seemed to escalate and when she turned to face him, he knew why. The bullet had hit her in the stomach and from the way she was attempting to gasp down breaths, it had pierced her lung.

Everything in that moment had felt like it was in slow motion. From her carefully lowering herself to the floor to him suddenly racing to her side, his limbs seemed to have a mind of their own.

From that point on everything happened in a blur, he remembered being by her side as they rushed her to the hospital, everyone changing out of their uniforms and into spare clothes in the time spent getting there. How we managed to switch clothes was a complete mystery to him but one thing he knew for sure was that everything seemed to cling onto her limp form. About ten minutes before they got to the hospital she had passed out. That's when Digg really pushed the limit on the van.

They heard the cops behind them and one of them pulled up to the window, it just so happened to be Lance, and Roy had yelled out that they had someone that had been shot in the back. It ended up as them clearing a path ahead for them all the way to the hospital.

He remembered how both Digg _and _Roy had to hold him back when they instantly took her into surgery to remove the bullet and fix up the damage.

They had to watch from window and that's where Lance had joined them. What made his whole body lose strength and cause his legs to tremble beneath his weight was when her lifeline began to drop time and time again before it sounded with a loud beep. Oliver was shaking his head in denial. _She couldn't be dead_ he repeated to himself over and over again like a mantra.

Flat lining. That would be his nightmare for the next several months. His mind erupted into fully raging arguments. One part yelling out that _it was his entire fault _and that _she shouldn't be in that room, he should_. But another part whispered _how it wasn't his fault _and _it was her choice, she didn't regret that in any way _and he _knew _that was Felicity.

Over the duration of time he had worked with her she had crept her way into every ounce of his being. His mind had her downloaded into it so whenever he got into sticky situations in missions, her voice was there guiding him back to her again.

So he clung onto that light, hoping that there was enough fight left in her to will of the dark trying to empower her.

No sounds registered to him all his attention was solely on that heart monitor connected to her chest. _Please, please fight…please come back to me…don't leave me._

* * *

The dawn of a new day broke out over the hospital.

"Urgh…I _hate _these stupid gowns, my ass is _freezing_!" her familiar voice whined. Groaning, he slowly lifted his head. The first thing he registered was a female blonde tugging at the garment wrapped around her loosely.

"Felicity! You're alive!"

"No I'm a ghost...what do you think?" it was then he realised he wasn't alone because the erupted in silent sniggers muffled behind hands.

"Yup she's awake…and _pissed_"

"How about you wear one of these things and tell me how you feel"

"Did the doctor come in yet?"

"Yes…she said she was glad you alright, everyone was routing for you…and that you can leave after you've signed out but you have to have someone keeping a constant check up on you for several hours just to make sure"

"I don't need to be sat on!" that earned another round of laughter, including Oliver this time because to be honest _who in the world _can keep a straight face with Felicity when she's like this?

So that's how they spent the rest of their afternoon, in Oliver's penthouse relaxing in the lounge with Felicity's head in Digg's lap, her butt in Oliver's (he wasn't complaining) and her feet in Sara's while Thea laid out in Roy's in one of the armchairs.

It felt so much of a relief to Oliver to finally tell her about his secret because now she was always a willing participate when it came to missions. On most days, Felicity gave her an earpiece and let her help her with guiding them and yelling at them when they came back bloodied and beaten.

The night ended with Felicity in Oliver's bed and him on the couch but it didn't take him long to switch to the bed and snuggle up to Felicity, holding her close to him in his bed with Thea and Roy sleeping in one of the guest rooms.

* * *

The next time they would be in the hospital was when Lyla gave birth to the little Digglet, as Felicity oh-so-gloriously called his kid (neither Digg nor Lyla at all minded), and they all huddled into the hospital room around the bed.

So they had a husband and wife and their new born daughter, named Allison Megan Diggle (her middle name after her loving auntie/god-mother). Also a newly engaged pair (whose fiancée really couldn't keep his hands to himself) and then a loving boyfriend and girlfriend, Felicity was the only one who knew of his plans for months to come, her job was to convince her soon-to-be husband to give his little sister away to the red-hooded kid.

Yep the next set of years were going to be pretty interesting. But every step of the way, they will always be _a team_.

**I swear to god I don't like writing about Felicity being hurt but the reason why I keep on writing these types of fanfics is because of the reaction from Oliver. I love writing about _that part _because I am literally addicted to Olicity, as you can obviously see from all the stories I write of them.****And before I forget to mention, I'm going to mainly focusing on A Change of View because it's goint to be quite a lengthly story (I think) so most of my attention is going to be on that but I'll try to keep updating Forbidden Love every so often but I just need to write the next chapter first and it really doesn't help that I'm now back at school, which sucks massively, so I promise to do what I can. **

**Thanks for reading!  
**


	10. Ephinephrine

**Thank you ChaiGrl for this prompt! Hope you like how it's turned out. Hopefully next up is a chapter of A Change of View!**

**I know I would hate for Felicity to eat something she was allergic to in the show but I've got to admit, it would be so _awesome_! Oliver would probably go _crazy _over the entire thing happening and begin wearing his 'angry face' as Felicity oh so gloriously puts it. Does anyone agree with me here or do you think I'm completely crazy for actually wanting this to actually happen and I know all of us Olicity fans would probably start WW3 if something _really bad _happened to our I.T/Girl Wednesday and if the writers do actually have something that bad happen to her, I would personally arrow them myself 3 **

**Anyways hope you enjoy! And as always please _review _because I love reading what you guys think of all my stories.**

* * *

Well wasn't this day going just great? When she had woken up that morning, she hadn't expected this to happen.

So she was at one of her other friend's birthday parties and Oliver had come as her plus one, since he said he _'had nothing better to do'_ when actually she knew him too well. Looking over to him, he had gotten himself deep into conversation with another party of guests, who liked gossiping about the Vigilante, he wasn't paying her any attention in that current moment probably too engrossed in the conversation to talk or even notice anything else.

She had been talking with her small group of female friends, who were very much like herself but not completely, they lived for shopping and men not the combination of _tech _and men.

Ever since Slade had happened the people of Starling had tried to put the events in the past and move on with their lives, if only it was that easy for her and Oliver. Since he had said those words to her, he looked at her differently like he just expected her to just vanish right before him and it annoyed her to the core at the fact that _to her _it felt like he was just watching, waiting for her to shatter. To think that he thought her so weak and that easy to break sent a knife flying straight into her gut and that look in his eye caused to the knife to be twisted in its place. So it was basically him walking on eggshells whenever he was near her.

_Thank god _Digg or Roy hadn't changed their views of her; they still looked upon her in the same light.

Felicity was over by the table where all the catering was laid out on beautiful dishes, beneath desserts that made her mouth water over. _In fact she was surprised she wasn't drooling_. Looking over at the several various choices to choose from, how was she supposed to pick just _one_?

After she had chosen the strawberry cheesecake, she felt the flavours dance on her tongue but then froze when it landed on one far too familiar for Felicity's liking.

Nuts.

Crap!

Panic set in like a shadow, flooding her body of every thought _not _to panic. Breathing deeply, breath after breath, Felicity repeated in her mind like a mantra. She could feel her heart begin to pound, the sound of her blood pumping round her body drumming through her ears.

_Come on FOCUS! Where is your __epinephrine? _She forced some sense into her mind. It was in her clutch that was on the table near her previous position but she couldn't seem to focus on anything except the panic still seeping into her and it certainly didn't help matters when one of male waiters had seemed to notice her over by the table and come up by her side, causing a small crowd to surround her. Now her heart was pounding louder for a whole new reason.

* * *

Oliver had been in a deep discussion about the Arrow when he had heard all the commotion and the birthday girl scream a familiar name that made his head snap that direction and completely freeze. His feet were moving before he even knew what was happening.

As soon as he saw her collapsed figure in a heap on the floor, red splotches masking a majority of her face, he didn't hesitate to steadily make his way to her, picking up her clutch (he knew she carried emergency epinephrine just in case something like this ever happened) before shoving people out of his way. Coming to her side he ignored the obviously nervous young male waiter and knelt down, not caring about how his Armani suit trouser looked afterwards.

Lifting up the hem of her purple cocktail dress, he carefully slid the needle into her upper thigh before placing her clutch on the floor beside his knees before cradling her cheeks guiding her gaze to his. Deep blue eyes met his as he tried to help calm her rapid pulse that he could feel on her pulse point on her wrist which was both wrapped about each of his wrists. They had locked eye contact but a part of her brain registered Rachelle yelling for someone to call 911.

Part of him wanted to demand who served the cake with the nuts in when they were supposed to know that Felicity was allergic, aren't they supposed to be aware of any allergies in the parties attending? However, he knew it would only make Felicity panic more and he didn't really want to leave her side in that moment so he remained on the seat beside her, grasping her left hand tightly in his.

If he wasn't so focused on Felicity, he would've realised how the male waiter still had one of his hands placed low on her other leg.

It took a while for the epinephrine to finally kick in and get to work. Rachelle, the birthday girl, brought her over a glass of water. As she exhaled a sigh of relief as the cool liquid poured down her throat, relishing her scratchy throat.

"You know Liz, when you said you wanted to give me a birthday to remember, I didn't really expect you to do _this_"

"Where's the fun in that? Besides you're always telling me I've got a dramatic flair so why not use it? Livened it up a bit didn't it?"

"You will never cease to amaze me, you know that?"

"No I didn't know that from the seven thousand times you've told me" sarcasm etched over her every word.

"Take care of her, this one's special…and thank you both for coming to my party" Rachelle directed at Oliver, who hadn't released her hand from his yet.

"Yes she is and don't worry I don't plan on letting her out of my sight for a while" when Felicity groaned at his statement, both Oliver and Rachelle laughed before she parted and returned to her party guests.

Turning to Oliver, Felicity stated.

"You know I'm fine right? I can take it from here"

"But you're not…who knows what could happen in the next few hours"

"Urgh…Oliver" she whined.

"Felicity" he mimicked her tone, which landed him glares from her. Reaching into her clutch, she retrieved her Benadryl, tipping a few out onto her hand and taking the glass of water from Oliver.

* * *

Later on after she'd been checked out by the medics and given the all clear to go home, Oliver didn't give it a second thought before scooping her up in his arms and making his way to his car. Felicity knew they would probably talk about this sometime in the near future, maybe tomorrow, but she would argue the reason why she allowed Oliver to carry her was that she felt drowsy but to be completely honest _with herself at least _she just liked the feel of him carrying her.

The way she felt his muscles rippling beneath her form or the way he cradled her close to his chest, or how he stole several glances down at her with that look of passion towards her. That just made her heart melt at how she was able to make him react in such a way.

A distant part of her screamed that he was in love with her, but the majority just smothered that thought with the fact that _even if he did_, he would still push her away and would end up just getting hurt in the process. Her brain never stopped whirling around that thought as Oliver carried her up in to her bedroom, tucking her in before looking for somewhere to sit.

"Just sleep beside me I don't bite…much" with that Felicity buried her head deep into her pillow, but not before hearing the slight chuckle rumbling from his chest.

"I'll keep that in mind but for now, sleep"

"Sir Yes Sir" she mocked a salute and if she had her eyes open right then, he would probably be wearing a huge smirk.

She barely remembered what happened next but she did remember; Oliver turning into her, draping one arm across her stomach and resting his head beside hers on her pillow, and how she fell asleep to his steady breaths.

She smiled, if this is what it took to make Oliver show this level of concern towards her then she should really have an allergic reaction more often but that was a conversation to have with Digg, for now it was sleeping time.


	11. Friends or Family

**So you all know that Season 3 is coming on-screen in October so I decided to write this to pass the time. I really don't think I can take much more of the waiting. I'm desperate to find out Felicity's back story and her history and all that but something that's been on my mind since episode 2x13 when she told revealed to Oliver about her father is _who is he_? So my curiosity turned into a story, so hope you enjoy reading this one and as always _please review_. **

**Send in any prompts and I'll happily oblige with a story.  
**

* * *

Well this was just brilliant!

How? How in the world did they go and get themselves captured?

Oliver, Digg, Roy and Sara had all gone to face a new villain that had _just _come into town and ended up getting themselves caught in the process. Now it was up to her to save their asses, typical.

So here she was with one of her tech gadgets secured to her wrist beneath her oversized hoodie, whenever she needed to hide her identity she always wore it, outside the building ready to save her team mates. Remind her to give them a lecture about watching their backs better next time.

"Felicity be careful" Laurel's voice came through her ear piece reminding her that she wasn't alone. She had given Laurel a crash course on the basics she needed to know to help during the missions, tech wise.

Laurel had hacked (_but everyone knew that she was never going to be as good as Felicity was) _her way into the security system, giving her a look at where the guards were.

"I'll try my best" Felicity said through the comms before turning off her ear piece. She knew at this point, she was on her own.

Carefully moving through the building, room by room in search of her team, the guards never even knew she was there, Felicity watched every step she took being wary not to give herself away.

When she heard the distinct noise of men's voices and then someone yelling death threats _(yep there's Roy)_, she followed the sound to a big room that was practically empty, save for all the crates in the top left hand corner of the room.

The villain wore a black cloak and a mask keeping the majority of his identity a secret and the remaining members of her team were fastened in ropes against the far wall, to the side of her line of sight. Marking out an escape route already, Digg's training racing into mind, she planned her actions.

Without hesitation Felicity pulled up the sleeve of her hoodie, revealing the gadget securing to her wrist, and typed in a short string of code. Sure enough the lights in the room flickered on and off before casting the room in pitch black. The man shouted in frustration but she didn't take any interest to him, knowing he wasn't near her team was all she needed.

Moving towards the team, Felicity pulled out her hidden Swiss army knife from her boot before beginning to cut into the ropes, sure enough freeing her teams' bonds behind their backs.

"Felicity?" Oliver hissed in a low whisper, it was clear enough that he was pissed with her actions but she didn't care.

"Shut up and stay still" Felicity responded in a harsh murmur, moving onto Digg's bonds at the end of the line of team mates. She heard him growl under his breath but he obeyed her command, letting her concentrate.

When the lights began to turn on again Felicity ducked behind Digg quickly, he shifted himself to move into a position where she wasn't visible.

"Now what to do with you four…hmm…decisions, decisions…but first I'll let you have a few moments to yourselves, enjoy the remaining non-hellish moments of your lives because you'll end up wishing I would've just taken your lives" he stated before leaving the room, yelling at guards to close the doors behind him.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You could've been killed!" Oliver directed at Felicity when he was sure the place was clear.

"Oh don't get your hoodie in a twist, they didn't even see me" moving out from behind Digg, Felicity made to cut the rest of the rope trapping them but as she turned her back towards the door she was completely unaware of a certain man making his appearance into the room once again.

Before the team could warn her, a voice spoke with an all too familiar name wrapped up in its words.

"Lissy?" the name made her freeze in her tracks. The sound of her heard thudding away in her chest filled her ears.

She hadn't been called that name in ages and there was only one person who had ever called her that, but it was years ago, _two decades ago _to be exact.

"Is that you?" when the voice spoke again, it proved her guesses to be true.

She could hear his footsteps approaching her from behind and from the corner of her eye; the team's reactions were evident.

Nothing made her snap her focus back again, not the man's approaching footsteps, not her team mates calling out her name, _nothing_. It wasn't true. _Please don't let it be true. _She pleaded that she was imagining it.

The man finally reached her and turned her to face him by her shoulders, keeping a firm grip on them. By now she had her eyes closed, fighting off the fact that the man she had been dreaming about for _years _of her life was now in front of her. She didn't want this to be happening right now.

"Lissy look at me" curiosity forced her eyes open after a minute's hesitation. NO! It wasn't true!

But it was. It _was _him standing before her.

Shaking her head, Felicity tried backing away from him but he wouldn't let her, his grip remained strong on her shoulders.

If she was in full awareness of everything happening her then she would've noticed how the team had tensed up, Oliver obviously not liking how close she was to the man.

"It is you…you're _here_…with _me_" from how he sounded, he was just as affected as she was but Felicity knew that wasn't the case. No one in the history of her life would be as affected as her.

His hands released her shoulders and came up to cradle her face but she refused any close contact with _him_ so she broke out of his embrace and backed away, towards the wall to the side of the room and away from everyone else.

Her friends were wondering what on earth was going on, looking between the two people but judging from Felicity's actions of moving away from him, it wasn't good.

It was weird, what she was feeling in that moment. She felt like crying but no tears made themselves known. Fury, instead, filled all her thoughts.

"Lissy, please…I never meant to hurt you, I didn't want any of this to happen" he tried, bringing his hands up in front of his face and approaching her like you would a wild animal, trying not to spook it.

His words only served to make her fury build more and more but she reined it in.

"Please…I-" he didn't get to finish the sentence as she took a step forward, her fist soaring towards his face and landing a blow, knocking him to the floor but his instincts kept him from falling but he hunched over, hand clutching at his cheek.

This made her friends suck in a sharp breath at how angry she looked.

"_Don't…you…dare…say that you never meant to hurt me! You knew exactly what you were doing all along, no one was making you do anything…it was all you!" _her fury was spread across her face like a shadow. Both her hands were tightly clenched into fists at her sides and her knees were trembling slightly.

Apparently the man wasn't a fan of her actions and began to get irritated at her. Stepping into her personal space he began growling at her.

Now this Oliver _really _didn't like at all.

"It…wasn't…my…fault!" he ground out as he attempted to intimidate her but it clearly wasn't working as she replied, shoving him far away from her. At all, it only served to make her angrier at him.

"That is the biggest pile of bullshit I have _ever _heard!"

The entire time the team were watching on in complete shock as their I.T girl stood her ground against the cold-blooded killer who was currently acting like a high school boy who was caught doing something wrong and lied but only resulted in digging his hole deeper.

"Everything was your fault! You're the one that left; you're the one that shattered her into thousands of pieces! Do you have _any idea _how much you broke her or how much you scarred me?"

"You know perfectly well why I left!"

"No I don't! I was five! How the _hell _can you expect a five year old to understand that?"

"I did it to protect both of you"

"No. That is a downright lie. You didn't do it to protect us, you did it for yourself…because you didn't want that kind of responsibility so you did what you always do, you dumped it when the going got tough"

"Like Donna even cared for you, if you believe that then you're just plain stupid"

"Well she was something that you weren't. She was _there _in my life, no matter what happened, no matter what the road was like up ahead she never left me to fend for myself like you did. She was a parent. Sure life wasn't as most lives are but she never ditched me and in the midst of things, she taught me valuable skills that I've been using in life even up to this day"

"Well isn't she just the mother of the year then"

"_You were supposed to be my dad! Supposed to be there for me _and where were you when the bad things happened?"

"I wasn't ready for that sort of commitment"

"Well then you should've put something on the end of it then because it takes two to tango…you knew _exactly _what you were doing and could've put a stop to it any time you wanted but you _chose _not to so you had to deal with the consequences"

Now everything became clear to Oliver and the rest of the team. That man, _that villain _was Felicity's father, the one that left her and obviously Felicity wasn't happy with his decision.

"Let me change that then"

"What?" she frowned at him.

"Let's start over, pick up where we left of because face it, I'm your father and I…"

"NO! You DO NOT get to make any decisions for me, you lost that right _years ago_" Felicity full-on snarled into his face, gritting her teeth not caring about any pain it may cause her.

"I AM STILL YOUR FATHER!" he shouted into her face but it still didn't make her budge.

"No you're not because through my eyes I have no father…he died the second he walked out that door and never came back!" Felicity kept eye contact with him, no intention of backing down from the fight.

Everything and everyone went silent, save for the heavy breathing of the dick that now was on everyone's to-shoot list.

They stayed like this for what seemed like ages on end before _her father _decided to put her loyalty to the test.

In the blink of an eye he had Oliver at gunpoint, his finger twitching ever so slightly on the trigger but like she said, she had no intention of backing down so Felicity retrieved Oliver's discarded bow and arrows, pointing the arrow his direction.

"Put. It. Down" Felicity warned, gritting her teeth and tightened her grip Oliver's bow.

"You won't shoot your own father" he replied, not taking his eyes of Oliver or the gun.

Oliver and the team were looking at Felicity with wide eyes; she wouldn't shoot her own father would she?

"Really? Try me see what happens" from how her voice was laced with poison, she wasn't kidding around and he knew that.

Her team were definitely shocked to be seeing this side of her. The person who would turn on her family to protect those she loved.

To say that he was surprised by her actions would be lightly grazing the surface.

"I'm not going to tell you again…put it down on the floor and step away from it"

"You don't have the guts princess" at the name her fingers voluntarily released the arrow, sending it flying into his lower leg and by the looks of it, she hadn't missed.

"Don't call me that _ever_"

"You wouldn't turn on your own family to save those pieces of trash, you're not like that"

"You don't know shit about me and besides I would never turn on family…_you _on the other hand I have no problem with sending another arrow straight through you" she said, notching another arrow.

If you'd asked her what was going through her mind in that moment, she wouldn't know how to answer beside anger towards _that man _for abandoning her at the time she needed both him _and _her mother the most. Your childhood is always the most vulnerable period of your life so you always depend on your parents to get you through the years.

Oliver could see her fingers twitching on the second arrow, deciding whether or not it was worth another arrow.

While Felicity had the majority of the man's attention, Digg had been able to cut the remaining length of rope fastening them to the wall with the knife stored away in his boots, in case of rainy days obviously and right now, _it was pouring_.

Oliver hated himself for what he was witnessing right now because it was because of _him _that this was happening. If he hadn't have brought Felicity in upon his own selfishness of not being able to stay away from her, she was being forced to choose between _her own father _and the team of wounded soldiers.

But most of all he hated that look that was in her eyes, the expression he's been showing ever since the island happened. Everything about her then looked so guarded, so well thought out, not a single thing out of place.

Just then they heard sirens going, Laurel. Only she would call her dad and tell him about the plan.

In both last year and this year it had been one of the weirdest times for Team Arrow.

Laurel had joined the team but he was pretty sure no one wanted her there because she only got herself in trouble and was always in the way.

Lance on the other hand hadn't been surprised when he had found out the secret, joining the team also but no as a hands on kind of joining more like I'll-help-out-in-the-field-if-necessary kind of joining.

With one last look at Felicity, the villain they had been chasing disappeared into the darkness of the room but he knew they wouldn't be done with him for a long time now that he knew that his daughter was working with the Arrow.

Spinning on her heel, Felicity ran out of the room with the rest of the team following shortly behind her.

While running, she typed in the short string of code into her gadget again but this time not messing around with the lights, instead deleting the security camera footage but not before sending a copy to the lair to analyse for anything they had missed.

Oliver had grabbed his bow from Felicity's hands and couldn't help the spark of electricity that shot through his body and straight to his core but when he saw that she was completely unaffected, he grew concerned. She always reacted someway whenever they accidently touched but not then.

When they were outside, clear of any cops or guards they all turned their ear pieces on, Laurel's voice meeting them instantly.

"So how'd it go?" one by one they all cast a glance over at Felicity, who looked like she was still in shock but once again surprising them.

"Fine, I sent a version of the security footage to the severs and deleted the original copy…have fun"

"Brilliant so you're all on your way back then?"

"I'll stop by later"

"Felicity wait…" the rest of Oliver's sentence trailed off when Felicity just walked off into the distance.

He knew that her neighbourhood was near enough to their current positions but he didn't really want to be separate from her tonight, but he also knew she needed her space.

"Come on Ollie let her have her space, she'll check in later on" Sara comforted him by placing a hand on his shoulder before tugging him towards the bikes but his gaze was locked on the back of a certain blonde's head.

"What happened?" Laurel asked but received no answer _and wouldn't be for a long time. _

* * *

Oliver had just finished another series of crunches on the Salmon Ladder, stealing a quick glance over at the time on one of the monitors to the side of Laurel.

It had been an hour since the mission and Felicity _still _hadn't checked in. He knew he shouldn't be worried she's a big girl, she can take care of herself but it still didn't make matters easier on him.

When they had returned from the mission Laurel had thrown herself at him but he didn't move to return the embrace so just tightened his grip on his bow.

Ever since she had found out about him, she wouldn't stop flirting with him or touching him and to tell the truth, it was beginning to annoy him considerably. Only one woman was allowed to put her hands on him and that was certainly _not _Laurel and hadn't been for a while.

So naturally he had gone straight into working out, relieving himself of any leftover tension and to centre his thoughts on the ladder and not his girl god knows where.

Growling he dropped from the bar at the top of the ladder, where he had been hanging upside down, and grabbed his keys and jacket before exiting the lair.

* * *

She wasn't really sure what she was supposed to be thinking of right now but her thoughts wouldn't stray from the man she had revealed to be her father a few hours ago. She knew Oliver had tried to stop her from walking off on the team but then, she couldn't deal with everything swamping her so had to leave to clear her head.

It had been simple right from the beginning. She didn't have a father, just a mother but then _he _had to make an appearance and bring back all those years of terror of when people used to tease her about her lack of a father figure.

Changing into more comfortable casual clothes, Felicity once again headed out the door.

For the past two years, Felicity been finding a strange sense of comfort and freedom in jogging so whenever she had a situation that clouded her every sense, then she would go out into a vacant part of the city and just run until she could finally think again, it really helped but nobody knew about it.

So now she just listened to the beat of the music thudding through her mind and the rhythm of her feet hitting the ground below her, driving her through the park.

It was early in the morning, a couple hours from the break of dawn but apparently she wasn't the only person who was out here, the sound of a bike just squirming its way through her earphones and music.

* * *

He tried to stay calm but fear was slowly setting in and he couldn't shake it. He'd checked her house and she was nowhere to be seen but it was clear she'd been there. Thinking maybe she'd finally checked into the lair, Oliver started for the Foundry.

When he drove past the vacant park the corner of his eye saw a figure jogging, turning a good majority of his gaze towards the figure. Oliver instantly recognised her flowing blonde hair, _no longer in a ponytail_, and the frame of her body, _it's not like he spent time staring at her body through the glass walls of their QC offices_, and turned his bike down one of the main paths that would soon cross paths with the path Felicity was jogging down.

Taking the time to analysis what was happening he allowed his gaze to linger.

She had a steady pace and a good beat of her feet hitting the ground; he never knew she ran _otherwise he would've joined her ages ago_.

She was dressed in casual clothes. A black tank top hugged her chest, showing off the curves of her body and a purple pair of jogging shorts with a black stripe running up the side of the shorts, showing off her legs perfectly. The whole outfit was finished by a pair of Nike trainers matching the colours of her shorts.

He could feel drool hanging from his lower lip, shutting his mouth as he approached her it was then he realised she had earphones in with music pounding through her ears.

Anger filled him when he saw the position she had freely put herself in, anyone could easily snatch her up and she would never hear them coming.

Stopping the bike on the path, cutting her off from going any further and when he saw how red her face was he knew she'd been working herself hard.

What was going on in that beautiful brain of hers?

"What?"

"You said you'd come by the Foundry and you never did so I decided to go to your house and check in on you _but you weren't there_"

"Cut the crap Oliver, I don't need someone watching my back every single second of my life…so if you don't mind, I'm going to finish running until I end up collapsing…see you tomorrow" putting her earphones back in, she tried to pass him but Oliver wouldn't relent and wouldn't give this up.

"No….Felicity I know what you're doing and don't think for a second that you can block me this easily, you're looking at the expert of blocking people out"

"Well hey presto…now skooch"

"No" and with that he dismounted the bike and strode over to her, removing her earphones in the process. "Look I'm sorry for what you had to do tonight"

"No none of that…not everything in my life includes you so don't you dare do that _I'm-guilty-about-everything-even-though-there's-no-reason-to _things again and besides…my life, my choice so everything I did tonight I _chose _to do so that's nothing to do with you alright, that's it"

"Felicity come on, _talk to me_"

"What do you want…honestly?"

"For you to be honest with me"

"Rather not…night"

"Felicity…"

"Look the things I did today I would do again in a heartbeat _no comments on that_, so don't bother with this self-loathing crap, neither of us likes sharing about these types of things…you think I haven't noticed you tense up when someone questions the island, exactly…so just leave it there" pulling off a move that she had perfected over the years, she faked one way then dodged him by quickly moving the opposite direction and taking off at the pace she was at before he had interrupted her.

But something she didn't count on was him joining her with his bike, right beside her.

Rolling her eyes she didn't let him faze her as she just continued jogging on but this didn't seem to rest well with him.

After another five minutes like this, Felicity finally turned home.

On the way back, she increased her pace into a sprint. Speeding her breathing up slightly, they continued on for about another minute before Oliver finally snapped and reached over to sweep her right off her feet and cradle her close against him as he sped back to her house.

Even through all their clothes separating their bodies, he could still feel the rapid pounding of her heart. A sound that didn't register well with him, because it was the things revolved around that sound that he hated, _dreaded _even.

* * *

They reached her house and on the way back decided he might as well just stay the night since he'd probably stake out outside her window. She was right though, as soon as she got through her front door she collapsed onto the couch, not bothering with changing into something else.

So that night he stayed there with her the entire time, not leaving each other's sights at any point. He learned a lot when she finally opened up to him but something told him that there was something that she was hiding from him.

"I wasn't sure" her voice broke him out of his train of thought. Turning to completely face her, he frowned. "Don't give me that look…the answer to the question that's been stuck in your head the second it happened is _I'm not sure_…I don't know what I would've done" from how she was staring off into space, he figured that she was finally opening up about the real darkness of her actions.

They were sitting on the couch side-by-side watching reruns of TV series that he really wasn't paying _any _attention to but it seemed to cool the air between them.

Shifting closer to her, Oliver grasped her right hand in his and encouraged her to speak further but she wouldn't turn her gaze from the far wall.

"When I felt the bow and arrow in my hands, pointed at him…I-I don't know…a part of me said 'shoot' but at the same time another just screamed not to but what scared me was the fact that I was considering letting go of that arrow right into his chest…for all the pain that he's caused me and my mum…I remembered-I remembered when I was younger, the last time I saw him…I could hear them both arguing, shouting at each and I was sitting on the floor in the lounge with my laptop, rewiring it and he gave me that one last look for a couple seconds before he came over to me and gave me a big hug…I was tiny in his arms…" she released a sort of soft huffing sound, remembering the memory, Oliver squeezed her hand slightly "…he whispered that is wasn't my fault and then said goodbye before he left…I could see him through the window, he paused halfway down the path…like he was debating whether or not to turn back to us but then just walked and never came back…a couple minutes later I realised that he gave me something before he left, when I saw what it was I burst into tears…he gave me his mala necklace he had gotten back in the army, one of his mates had given it to him…he wore it every single day, so did I…my mum came down later on in the day and I was still looking out the window, waiting for him to come back but he didn't…she came over and picked me up and just cried into me, I didn't know what was happening at the time…she never spoke of it again…when I finally found out properly, that he had started another family somewhere else but never had a kid…I locked myself in my room and didn't come out for days, just hiding under my bed clutching his necklace and I lost track of time…no one could get me to come out. For the next several weeks on the day I used to climb the big tree in the backyard, it was there I had the most memories of him…when I used to get stuck up there and he used to come out and have to climb up and carry me back down, I never learnt because I kept doing it time and time again…I stayed up there until my mother called me in for dinner. Whenever I was near her, I could feel those walls coming up around her and keeping her emotions in check around me…not wanting me to see her in her state of weakness. It went on like this until she finally began sleeping around to get the memory of him out of her head and out of the house, so instead of his scent lingering round places…it was the scent of cigarettes, alcohol and drugs everywhere I went…I couldn't stand it so I used to run away time to time when things got at their worst but she always came looking for me in the same place…the cemetery…it was just easier to consider him dead, it hurt less that way…then we'd both sit there on the couch staring at the front door waiting for any chance that he might walk back through it again, but he never did…so we'd cry until we fell asleep but she never changed…so when I grew up and went to MIT and left for Starling, I didn't stop calling her up to check in with her…I still do now…I just didn't want to be like him and pack up and leave her behind, even though she says what she does to me…I can hear the awareness of what I'm doing and she's appreciative of it but just doesn't say it in words" stray tears trailed down her face, making her look younger in Oliver's eyes, her innocence on full display.

So this is why she acted like she did when he told him about Moira, she was being reminded of that painful experience when her dad had left her and her mother.

Not being able to restrain himself back any further, Oliver shifted all the way over to her, erasing any distance between them both and pulling her into his arms. She came without hesitation.

"You've still got his necklace haven't you?" he felt her nodding into his chest. "You can let it out, it's alright I won't judge you for it _ever_" and with that she slowly began to let everything go, tears streaming down her face but through his eyes, _she's never been more beautiful. _

It was like she had explained from when she was younger, she had cried herself to sleep but this time in the arms of a man who understood where she was coming from, because that's the same way he felt deep inside when he was forced to kill the first time. But looking down at the sleeping woman in his arms, it sent chills through him to think that she would've killed her own father all to save her team mates.

She really never stopped being remarkable, showing deep loyalty to those she cared for but he knew the effects of those types of decisions made and the guilt that followed.

* * *

Standing with Felicity secured against him, Oliver made his way to her bedroom but didn't expect her to tightly grip him. The fact that even in her sleep she trusted him so much was like an electric shock to his heart.

Nobody has ever trusted him like that before, not even Laurel.

She may say that she does but when it comes down to it, she doesn't and he's proved that countless times but Felicity on the other hand has proved her trust towards him by willingly putting herself in all types of dangerous positions and counting on him to get her out of there in one piece.

The man who had decided to leave her for two decades was insanely stupid in that department because he gave up so many brilliant things, like the fact of having such a loyal and remarkable woman for a daughter and that fact alone is enough to make him want to shoot him in the head, because his brain is clearly broken.

* * *

That night he just laid there with Felicity safely in his arms, appreciating the honour of knowing her and not only being able to work beside her but also being able to see clearly of his feelings towards her. Being able to love someone as rare as Felicity, in a world full of such nightmare and terror is the greatest gift that he could ever be given.

At first, after the island he thought he would never be able to find any source of love other than forced but then he had met Felicity and straight away he was captivated by her bright colours, her ability to not take any shit from anyone, personality and just her all-in-all because to someone as lost and as dark as him, she really is a sight for sore eyes and he couldn't help but smile. The first smile since his life had gone down the dark route and it shocked him at how easy it was for her to make him smile.

Not a lot of people could do that with him and that's what made him return to her again and again.

Maybe it's time that he finally give into something that's been lingering around them since Slade, when he had revealed his true feelings for her.

He will always be safe with her and he will stop at nothing to protect her from the evils of the world, even if one of those evils made themselves out to be her father.

_Nothing could break them apart, ever._


	12. Crash and Burn

**It's been a while since I last updated with a new chapter so here you go. **

**The ironic thing is when I first begun to write this trope, _I _caught the cold going round school and I couldn't help but laugh at the chances but luckily I didn't throw up..._well not yet anyways_. **

**Getting back to the point, thank all of you for leaving reviews because trust me when I say it's a lot of fun just reading through them all to see what people think of my stories.**

**Thanks guys!**

* * *

As Oliver walked out of the executive floor of QC he couldn't wait to see the perky, colourful woman waiting for him at her desk. That Friday he strode out of the elevator with a grin covering the majority of his face because for once in his life, he had something to be smiling about.

They had finally been able to win back QC from the evil clutches of Ray Palmer, _well evil in his eyes_; everything then went back to as normal as it could be.

But something he wasn't expecting was for her seat to be empty when he arrived. Digg was sitting on the couch in his office chewing his gum, a normal routine for him.

"Digg where's Felicity? Isn't she here yet?"

"Don't know, haven't heard from her all morning…she was fine when she left the lair last night" maybe she had just decided to have a lay in but a part of him said _when did she ever do lie-ins? _

"Maybe she's just going to be getting in later today, it is Friday after all"

"Probably anyways someone came in with a stack of papers for you to sign, so enjoy my friend"  
Groaning, Oliver sat in his chair behind his desk and began the long and tiresome process of signing each letter about projects within the company needing his approval.

* * *

Two hours later and still no Felicity, now Oliver was beginning to get worried. Felicity never _in her life _missed a day of work but he knew that she would call him to let him know if anything was wrong, unless she couldn't make it to her phone in time.

Not beginning to hold it in anymore, Oliver whisked out his phone and called Felicity's cell hoping to God he was just being paranoid and nothing was actually wrong with her.

Holding it to his ear, he listened to the ringing.

* * *

When she had risen that morning, Felicity was met by a terrible pain in the pit of her stomach, like she was being stabbed a thousand times over. Not giving herself another minute to stay curled up on her bed; Felicity was on her feet and sprinting over to the toilet before she could give it a second thought. She felt like she was depositing the contents of her stomach into the toilet bowl.

The only sound she could hear was the sound of her retching continuously into the toilet. _Why did her body have to hate her?_

From the amount of bile that she chucked up she didn't bother moving from her position on the floor of her bathroom so she lost all track of time.

From her bedroom Felicity's phone rung and it didn't take a genius to figure out who was calling her but in that moment she didn't give a monkey's ratty uncle about the phone or the caller, her main focus was on directing everything into the toilet and not over the floor but that did nothing to help the stabbing pain in her stomach.

_So this was what it felt to be hated by the Universe?_ The majority of her thoughts revolved around.

Curling herself up into a tight ball with the arms locked around her stomach, applying pressure to the pain to ease it as much as she could, Felicity gently laid her head down on the refreshingly cold tiled bathroom floor not caring how much her eyes stung from the tears leaking out.

* * *

"She isn't picking up and that's the eighth time I've called her in the past ten minutes…Digg I have a bad feeling about this"

"Look Oliver just go, I'll cover for you"

"Thanks man I owe you one"

"You think?" if Oliver wasn't so centred on needing to know if Felicity was alright, he would've laughed at Digg's comment.

Hopping onto his bike, Oliver sped down to Felicity's house not caring about receiving any tickets, he'd like to see any cops just try and mess with him right now.

* * *

Knocking on her front door Oliver called out Felicity's name but when he heard no response, he pulled out the spare key she always hid under the pot on the front window sill and let himself in remembering to lock the door behind him.

"Felicity?" from the moaning and groaning he heard from upstairs, he booted it up the stairs taking them two at a time and followed the sounds to her bedroom. Frowning when he didn't see her, his heart rate sped up slightly until he heard the slightly in pain moans coming from the bathroom. Shooting over to the ajar door of her bathroom, he swung open the door and saw her curled up in a tight ball around the toilet and pressing both her arms far into her stomach.

"Felicity! What's wrong?" he was by her side in seconds. Gradually, her head lifted from where it was laid on the floor. Her face was puffy while her eyes looked raw red, brimming with tears.

"Oliver? What are you doing he….argh" she trailed off as her face contorted in pain and she groaned, throwing her head back on the floor with a dull thud.

"What's wrong?" Oliver didn't see any signs of injuries but there could be more than meets the eye.

When he lightly placed his hand on the side of her face, he instantly pulled back like he'd been burnt. She had a high temperature.

Just when he was about to slightly lift her off the floor, she lurched her body up and began chucking up. Now it all made sense to him, she was sick and currently stuck in the bathroom from the effects of the illness.

Pulling her hair back out of the way, Oliver drew circles on her back to give as much comfort as he could. The retching ceased to nothing but heavy breaths. Drawing her back to his chest, from the way her head lolled back to rest against his shoulder and her eyes lingered between open and closed, he knew all of this was wearing down on her.

"I feel like crap…can't stop throwing up" she breathed out.

"Come on…I know something that might make that better for you" rising off the floor without another word from her, he laid her out on her bed before whispering that he'd be right back and not to go anywhere.

"Trust me…wasn't planning on it" shifting her head onto her marshmallow-pillow behind her head, _they were so comfy_; Felicity made herself as comfortable as she could while Oliver went to her kitchen.

Popping the kettle on to make her a steamy cup of coffee, Oliver called Digg.

"Yeah she's not going to be coming into work today…she's coming down with an illness that's taken most of it out of her…you know how she hates me carrying her well she put no fight when I carried her out of the bathroom, it was safe to say she was chucking her insides up and couldn't move from the toilet"

"_And I'm sure you're going to be taking care of her for the remainder of the day?_"

"Yep"

"_I hope she gets well soon_"

"Thanks Digg, see you Monday and take the rest of the day off with Lyla"

"_Don't think for a second that you don't still owe me Queen_" that got a laugh out of Oliver.

"Wouldn't dream of it"

"_Take care of her for me_"

"You don't have to tell _me _that"

"_I know, goodnight_"

"Night"

Carrying in the tray of chicken soup and two cups of coffee with a hot water bottle tucked under his arm he walked back into the bedroom and saw Felicity's eyes slowly flutter open.

When she saw the coffee she let out a huffy laugh, Oliver bringing her coffee was a sight she never thought she'd see in her life. Oliver also saw the funny side of it and flashed a smirk her way before setting the tray up on the bedside table.

"Hey ya go…whenever I was sick Raisa would always do this for me, instantly made me feel better" sitting on the side of her bed, he pulled the covers back and wrapped a tea towel around the hot water bottle before placing in against her stomach then covering her once again.

"You didn't have to do all this…I would've be fine" she couldn't help the sigh of relief when she felt the heat radiating through the towel and onto her skin.

"Yeah sure, you probably would continue to lie down on the bathroom floor for the entire weekend"

"Don't tempt me"

Oliver couldn't help but snigger, even sickness couldn't drag Felicity down all the way.

"I would never"

"Liar" she glared at him with one eye still shut tight, the other straight-away joined it.

"You know me too damn well"

"And don't you forget that"

Grabbing the soup off the tray Oliver grabbed the soup off the tray and positioned himself behind Felicity, who gladly helped by leaning forward slightly so he could slip behind her, and helped her down the soup but she could only stomach half of it before falling asleep against him, her head relaxing on the crook of his arm.

Shifting her so he could replace the bowl back on the tray, Oliver gathered her against him placing his hands atop the hot water bottle to keep it in place so he could move them both into a more comfortable sleeping position. Settling himself down on the bed beneath the covers with Felicity sprawled out up against his side, not really caring for the fact that she was still sick.

Felicity couldn't help but laugh when a couple days later, Oliver came down with the same illness and she took care of him just like he had done with her.

Digg smirked at the fact that during those few days, they were acting like a married couple.


	13. Tequila

One thing that her friends, from Vegas, had learnt was to _never in a million years _let Felicity _anywhere _near tequila because that's when the true party started and they were sure she had absolutely no control over her actions.

So when they had decided to visit her one Friday afternoon they had dragged her, reluctantly, into the building of a club about a block from Verdant.

Judging from the way she was mouthing _'help me' _to Digg, Oliver, Sara, Laurel, Thea and Roy she knew it wasn't going to be ending well so that's why she kept her phone on her at all times, no matter what the alcohol did to her sense of direction in life.

They had practically forced the dress on her that Felicity, tried to say but failed, would never be caught dead in.

"I wonder what torture they're making her suffer through right now?" Sara wondered aloud in the Foundry, where everyone was gathered thinking about their I.T girl being dragged off, against her will, to somewhere she didn't want to be.

"How long do you think it'll take for her to come running back here again?" Laurel said in a teasing voice, during the time in which it'd taken for Laurel and Thea to join Team Arrow, as Felicity marvellously put it, all the girls had formed a sister-hood friendship with one another.

* * *

What'd she warn them not to let her do?

_Go anywhere near tequila_ and yet somehow she had gotten herself dragged into a shot-taking contest, which from her experience in Vegas had given her the ability to trump every single competitor in but it left her in a daze.

So now here she was grinding on the dance floor with some stranger, who obviously lacked in the self-control department and not to mention the clingy department, because he was literally all over her right then.

She could feel his arousal through the backside section of her thin-clad dress.

Why she had actually allowed her friends to dress her up like some Barbie doll was completely beyond her but she didn't say a word because she knew them far too well for them to respond in a well-placed comeback, which will probably cause her to lie to hide the secret of what she really did with her night life.

The worst part of dancing with this handsy stranger was the fact that she actually allowed him to treat her like a rubbing post for his _thing_ that was clearly unhappy not staying in his pants; actually it shocked her to say the least at how it was actually _staying _in his pants.

What happened next was completely and utterly out of her control.

* * *

He growled, not being able to hold it back any more, not being able to take any more of the torture Oliver had used her tracker to track her phone to her whereabouts just to see if she was alright and not being forced into anything she didn't want to do. With Digg, Roy, Thea, Sara and Laurel hot on his trails, Oliver flew out of the pounding club upstairs and into the club a couple blocks down, Felicity's tracker said she was located in.

Searching the over-populated club for any sign of his Felicity, it concerned him at the fact that he couldn't see her at all. The sound of Thea, Sara and Laurel shouting out 'O.M.G' out loud, Oliver turned and followed their line of sight to a sight he never thought he'd ever see _in his life_.

There on the stage, currently hanging upside down from the dancing pole atop the main stage was _his girl_.

He'd never seen her so _carefree_ but then his thoughts were swamped by the sight of her in _that dress_.

Felicity wore a short, black cocktail dress that tightly hugged itself around her body, showing off her curves in all the right places that also emphasised other places perfectly. At the front of the dress a diamond shape was cut out, showing the sides of her breasts and how she was _braless_. The front of the dress was held up by a piece of string circling her neck. When she turned Oliver saw how the back section of her dress criss-crossed with a zip lining the centre and from the way her back curved beautifully, it made out her butt in perfect figure. The look finished off with her golden flowing hair hushed to the side, flowing out in waves down her shoulder.

She looked ravishing.

Snapping back to himself again Oliver and the rest of the team watched in awe as Felicity performed a flawless yet daunting routine on the pole, proving the true strength of those legs that had put him in a daze for months now, slowly going on into years.

If you gave him a penny for every second he spent drooling over those legs of hers, she would be _by far _the richest man in the world.

It was then he registered the group of men circling the stage like hungry hyenas, well guess what _he was the lion protecting his lioness_ and there was no way in hell he was letting any of _them_ get their grimy hands on her.

Prowling towards the stage, his eyes never wavered from Felicity's.

Not caring who in the world saw this, as long as _he _was the only one _anywhere _near her and right then the need to keep that remarkable woman on that stage guarded from aspects of both worlds was more powerful than anything Oliver had ever known.

* * *

"How do you think she's going to react to this when she sees this?" Roy voiced the question in everyone's heads as he recorded the entire thing on his phone while Thea took dozens of pictures, ready to show them to Felicity when she sobered up.

"Probably not well, especially with Ollie acting like this" Laurel said, also recording the encounter on her phone.

* * *

Shoving the googly-eyed men out of his path, Oliver made a beeline for the stage.

* * *

Felicity was still groggy from the tequila and was clearly out of it because sober, she would never have begun poled dancing but from the effects the tequila had on her, she clearly wasn't in her best mind then.

She hadn't done pole dancing ever since she had left Vegas and that was only because she had desperately needed the money for MIT so when she saw the advertisement, she hadn't given it a second thought.

During her vacation one semester one of Felicity's friends, Catherine even though her friends always called her Cat, had once again basically forced her to enrol in classes which she actually turned out to be pretty good in and ended up shocking the coach at how much of a natural talent she had at natural strength, grace and poise all mused up together.

But clearly her brain wasn't functioning properly, making her stumble when she had finished on the pole and trip right off the stage. Shutting her eyes up tightly expecting to be met by a hard, cold metal surface but it never came.

Opening her eyes, she saw Oliver's face hovering above her and he held her bridal-style in his arms. What was it with this man and saving her?

"I take that as a compliment" he mused before beginning to walk out of the crowd she had unknowingly put together and towards the door.

Wait did she just say that out loud…urgh, god sake!

"My friends….my purse" Felicity muttered, bending herself over his arm to look behind her at the bar where her friends were looking at her with dreamingly yet knowing looks.

"Digg's got it…come on I'm taking you home"

He really hated taking no for an answer. Damn insufferable, arrogant man. _Luckily she had managed to keep that part silent_.

"But the night's still young, besides I was chilling with my friends…" Felicity ended up slurring, head still bent over his arm.

* * *

No matter what she said, he still wouldn't stop from all-but charging her out of that door that _need _to shield her radiant beauty from everyone and honestly he didn't really care if that made him selfish, when it came to Felicity _especially when it came to Felicity wearing that dress with her body _it would gladly wrap her up in bubble wrap just to keep her from the nightmares of the world, he didn't have that right.

When he felt how she bent over his arm, at the feel of just how flexible she was _something else he didn't know about her_, he had already made up his mind on where he was going to be taking her and he had no plan bringing her back into that club again, being felt up by a load of strangers he seriously was considering sending arrows into to keep them off _his _Felicity.

* * *

Months ago they had gone on a date and the results ended up disastrous, with Felicity laying on that goddamn metal table where only _he _was allowed to lay, then he knew he was the one taking the pain and no one else but that wasn't the case instead of it being him it was her.

He had lost it. He was so close to his breaking point.

It was then he realised how much he needed her to hold him together and without her, he was that lost man searching for his way back home again and it hurt him at how much he needed her but how much he had to sacrifice to keep her safe.

The worst part of it was that look of acceptance, that all-too-easy look that he knew too well. In that moment he saw the pain he was bringing down on her shoulders so he did the thing that he found the easiest in the world to do, he pushed her away and she knew that so kept her distance but he knew that she was also keeping him at a distance too.

The air between them changed but she continued to act as normal as possible around others but when it was just them alone together, she was so distant.

He couldn't help it, that instinct to protect her raged inside of him so deeply that it was the thing that Oliver used to drive himself to fight most of the times. To hear her voice again, to see her beaming smile that he swore was contagious, those bright colours that shone off her personality so much it blinded him.

But how could he keep her at a distance, how could he protect her when she did things like this? When she was so vulnerable yet so in control? It made his appreciation of her run deeper when he saw how in control she was when she didn't even realise she was doing it.

* * *

When he had finally gotten her home, _with a visit from Digg to give him her forgotten purse and a clear protective-big-brother-warning_ Felicity had already passed out in his arms and was now cuddled so far into his chest but as he walked through her living room towards her bedroom upstairs, she slowly stirred and softened the remaining tension when she opened her eyes to darkness but she knew Oliver was the one still carrying her by the way he held her.

* * *

As soon as she opened her eyes, there was no headache, no wincing, nothing but a light yet firm pressure on her stomach. Glancing down she frowned when she saw an arm draped over her stomach.

Following the arm behind her to the owner, Felicity saw a sleeping Oliver behind her and by the look on his face; he was in a deep sleep.

Trying to think back, the events that followed in her bedroom were blurry.

Controlling her minor freak out, Felicity checked beneath the covers at her body and breathed a silent sigh of relief when she saw that she was in her PJs.

Looking again back at Oliver, he hadn't moved a muscle from his original position.

Taking a couple deep breaths Felicity shifted herself slightly out of Oliver's grasp, _very _cautiously, wary not to wake him but as the distance between them grew her fear of him suddenly waking up grew too.

Eventually, due to her slow and careful movements, Felicity managed to get out of the bed and away from Oliver. Now she sat on her butt, legs tucked in beneath her feet at the foot of her bed.

Since she was finally sober, it gave her the chance to use the majority of her brain to its full use.

It hurt her immensely at how much they had drifted apart those few months after their disastrous first date which resulted her on the med-bay and Oliver practically in tears beside her. She knew by how he was coiled up, mask in place guarding himself from his own emotions, she knew what he was going to say and to be honest it didn't really surprise her. So she had taken it without as much heart as she could.

To love someone like Oliver Queen was a danger in itself. It was a life laced with dangers hidden round every single turn and the knowledge that you had to constantly be looking over your shoulder wounded her.

But one of the many reasons she had stayed to begin with was the fact that she _knew _she could help make a difference in not only Starling City but in Oliver's life too. She knew he hated killing from the look on his face.

She hated the fact that he always sacrificed his own happiness to provide the safety and happiness of others.

Nobody would ever know but when that bomb went off and Felicity had listened to her instinct to throw herself in front of Oliver, to shield him from the blow, it was one of the best decisions she's ever made because for once in her life, she felt relieved to be the one in pain.

Because that meant nobody else was. All that pain, all the suffering, the feeling of how easy it is to give up, to die is aimed at her and only her and for that she was thankful.

Felicity held a breath when Oliver frowned and a look of discontent plagued his features, he began shifting, feeling around for _something _and Felicity knew he was searching for her, seeking her out. When his foot suddenly moved towards her, he must've sensed her presence because the next second he was reaching towards her and pulling her back into his embrace, also tightening his hold on her slightly but this time he purposely left no escape route for her to take.

Oliver trapped her against him and for the first time since the explosion, Felicity allowed her body to cuddle close to him, burrowing into his warmth and in response he nuzzled his nose into her hair.

Both arms came to band around her waist so her side was flush against his front and finally she succumbed to sleep, letting it make her weightless and make it feel like she was floating.

* * *

That morning if Oliver noticed how in the morning he woke up practically on top of Felicity he didn't say anything, just fell back asleep again to a promise.

The promise of a new outlook on life and this way _Felicity was totally his. _


	14. Taken

**I got inspiration from 'Ghost of a Future Lost and Regained' by AnAverageGirl15 it's awesome would definitely advise you guys to go and take a read of it, it includes smut if anyone's interested XD.**

**Nearing the end I wasn't quite sure how to end this _or I wanted to _but I eventually put something together so yeah. **

**Anyways so I got inspiration from that fanfic and decided to see what happens with this one so I hope you enjoy reading this and please tell me what you think by leaving a review! Thank you!**

Taking several deep breaths, she sprinted across the expanse of the yard ignoring the pain flaring throughout her body. She didn't care if her body felt like it was slowly dying on her, she wouldn't stop running until she knew she was safe, until she was home but no matter how far or fast she ran, they always caught her, drug her back kicking and screaming then she was once again met by darkness.

The dark that had once haunted her was now her constant companion, the only thing that hadn't changed. It had embraced her; it hadn't pushed her away so instead of fighting she just succumbed to the peace, that feeling of security that it provided.

Thinking back to that night, maybe she should've been more cautious then none of this would've happened.

_She was walking through Verdant's underground car park where she always parked her car during her work timetable. She was unlocking it when suddenly a hand entered her vision and she knew she struggled but after that all she remembered was darkness. _

What happened to her?

* * *

Oliver was beating the hell out of one of the practice dummies, his usual victim, when Digg finally entered the Foundry. Sighing, Digg went to his desk and begun the task of cleaning his guns. Ever since Felicity had been kidnapped that night, four months ago, Oliver became more distant, more closed off to everyone including the Lance sisters especially Laurel, who he had attempted a new start at a relationship but it all came screeching to a halt when he found out Felicity had been taken.

He had gone out on patrols, much longer and more frequently trying to find her, searching relentlessly but coming up with nothing. You could tell by the bags under his eyes that he wasn't finding a lot of sleep. The amount of days Digg had come into the Foundry and found Oliver screaming Felicity's name then waking up in a panic, he was taking it all too hard.

Now that he thought about it, Felicity was the only person who could get Oliver to be normal. She was _it _for him but he had yet to realise it though.

Digg prayed to God that they were able to get Felicity back in one piece otherwise; _they would lose Oliver for good. _

* * *

Waking up, she instantly saw that she wasn't in the same place she typically woke up. This time it wasn't the damp, dingy cell that smelt like death served up on a platter. This time it felt warmer.

Where the hell was she?

Looking around Felicity's eyes automatically saw the man sitting on the couch across from her, staring at her and not hiding the fact either.

"Where am I?"

"Safe" was the only thing he said before he left her alone.

A clean set of clothes were laid out on the bed. Glancing down, she remembered how she hadn't changed clothes from the day she was kidnapped. Her current clothes were shredded to pieces, sections of cloth were missing and the only thing they were capable of doing now was hiding her prized jewels from prying eyes.

Pushing the pain aside for the time being, Felicity quickly changed into the fresh clothes and disposed of her old ones, they were warm and comfortable.

Spotting a mirror against a wall of the room, she took the time to look herself over at all the scars she had collected over the months.

A jagged scar ran diagonally across her stomach from where she'd been sliced with a knife. Thousands of scars scattered across her chest, making themselves to be known as whip marks from where she'd been tortured for information but refused to talk. Scars from now healed bullet and arrow wounds spread across her back but the one that had the majority of her attention was the marks that distinctly looked like lightning bolts. Images of when her capturers had sent 2,000 volts of electricity through her repeatedly because of yet another escape attempt. But that never stopped her once; it only heightened that instinct to escape all the more.

A spear shooting through the air is what snapped her out of her thoughts, guiding her to catch the incoming spear seconds before it hit her square in the chest.

"Your training begins now"

"For what" Felicity was swivelling the spear tip around in her fingers, keeping her centred on something.

"Need to know information"

"You didn't answer my first question. Where am I?"

"You don't ask the questions" he didn't seem too happy with her at all but honestly, Felicity didn't give flying monkey what he was happy with.

"Tough luck I'm not going anywhere until I know what I'm getting myself into for starters"

"I have a feeling we are going to work well…for now all you need to know is that we fight for justice, for those who can't defend themselves but we keep killing others as a last resort…you are now going to begin your training for your joining the League of Shadows"

"Lead the way" straightening her body posture, Felicity followed after the man into the training room. She had a feeling that something interesting was waiting beyond the corner for her to appear but she wasn't sure what.

* * *

"People confuse those of us with the League of Assassins, be sure we are _nothing _like them, we do not enjoy death, we do not celebrate death….we keep it at bay as long as possible understood?" the leader had sent to see her and welcomed her to the League.

Felicity had once heard of the League of Shadows and it was true, they were nothing like the League of Assassins. They helped defend people who didn't stand a chance in battle; they served as their last line of defence. Members of the League were like shadows, ninjas in the dark and nobody had ever cut one down so they definitely held a reputation.

The leader of the League had taught her how to ignore any pain plagued upon you at any time and focus on the path ahead instead of giving in to the easy path, taking the easy way out. Felicity had never in her life felt as strong as she did then. With all her training, she was a shadow in the night and with training she had learnt things she had never known about before. She was so grateful for everything the League had done for her, giving her the confidence she needed to live through the next day.

It had taken a month for to finally be given her uniform and her first assignment.

Leather hugged her body while a thick but light layer of armour protected her from the outside world and the threats it possessed. Cloaking her identity was a full-faced mask that only left her mouth visible to the world. Her entire figure was masked in darkness, the same she had confidence in and because of everything she had become worked well with her.

Attached to her back laid an equipped bow that was similar to that of the bow she had custom made for Oliver.

_Oliver _she hadn't spoke of his name for those few months and since she joined the League. By now she prayed he had given up on her and moved on but that didn't stop her from thinking about her life back in Starling once or twice every noun and again, the leader had caught sight of this and merged it in with her first assignment perfectly.

Her task, protect the Arrow and his sidekicks.

* * *

"Ollie your target should be on the rooftops in your current location now" Laurel's voice came through comms. He always hated when Laurel called him that but never voiced his dislike on the topic.

Over the months Laurel had taken up Felicity's vacant place on the team but obviously, she was nowhere near as talented as Felicity was. Ever since that dreadful night he found out she had been taken from him Oliver was never open with anyone, never lived a normal life because every time he tried his thoughts would always be plagued with Felicity. She had wriggled her way into his life so much that she was everywhere. On the costume he wore at night, _he remembered how he had locked eyes with her deep blue orbs as she pulled his mask down and said he was a hero_, she was in the Foundry sitting in her chair behind her monitors dancing to some random music she had put on, she was in his life as Oliver Queen _he remembered when he first promoted her to his EA and how much she had hated it every second but soon warmed up to the position_ and worst of all she was there every time he closed his eyes telling him how it _wasn't his fault _and how it was _her life, her choice _but Oliver hated the words _I want you to let me go and move on_ because no matter what he did, he couldn't move on from her.

"Clear, Arrow out" he wasn't paying attention so when the sound of someone face planting the tarmac of the roof made his head snap behind him.

Upon seeing a black clad figure giving away nothing of their identity, he nocked an arrow and aimed for their chest.

"Who are you?"

Seconds passed without a response, causing his anger to boil.

"I said…who….are…..you?"

"I heard you the first time, I'm not deaf" that voice was distorted to his ears but the words behind it hit him full force. _NO! Stop it! She's dead, Felicity is gone and she's never coming back again! _Shaking his head, he edged forward.

"What do you want?"

"Put the bow down _hero_ nothing's going to happen"

He noted the voice to be female. But why did she just call him a hero?

Without another word, she spun on her heel and jumped off the edge of the building. Running up to the edge, he looked down and saw nothing but shadows. Then it dawned on him, _the League of Shadows_.

* * *

Ever since that first meeting, he hadn't seen so much as a glimpse of the woman who had saved his life from one of the most feared enemies of Starling. She had taken him down within seconds, but he couldn't stop thinking about her and why she had decided to help _him_.

* * *

Days later he walked right into a trap and got himself in one hell of a pickle. Men flooded into the room from every direction, surrounding him and leaving him with no way of escaping. He knew his chances of escaping were slim to none but he wasn't giving up without a fight.

Taking on three men at a time, the other twelve men swarmed round him before together throwing him to the ground several feet away from their current position. That's when he heard a whistling noise sound through the room. An arrow soared through the air like an eagle before planting itself in the ground in the centre of the group of men's feet, seconds later exploding with such a force.

Looking towards the direction the arrow had flown from that's when he saw her again, she had saved him _again_ but the moment didn't last long before she disappeared from the room in the matter of a blink of an eye and just like that it was like she hadn't even been there but _she had_ and it didn't stop there.

* * *

Over the next several months she had saved him and members of his team countless times. So much so that he had named her, _the guardian _and the name stuck. One time he was in a fight 5 vs. 1 and just like he had expected, she had appeared and fought by his side.

There were times where he just wanted to rip that mask off and see his saviour in all her glory but he never got the chance because it was like she disappeared into thin air.

* * *

It had now been well over a year since she had joined the League and received her task of protecting the Arrow.

The countless number of times she had saved Oliver's life and those of the remaining members of her old team had steadily been increasing that she may as well be living in the Foundry but she knew that was out of bounds.

Oliver had tried several times to draw her in but she fled the scene before anything else could happen but that didn't mean she completely left though.

Never in all the time she dedicated to protecting her friends did she expect the following to happen but now that she deeply thought about it, she had it coming.

* * *

Tracking the target to an old alleyway in the middle of the Glades, Oliver, Roy, Digg and Sara crept silently to their intended destination.

"Hello kid" Slade's voice had tugged Oliver forward until he was in plain sight of Slade.

"You're supposed to be dead"

"I could say the same to you…did you really think you could kill me boy?" with that everyone attacked. Shooting the cure arrows into the bodies of the minions, the team allowed Oliver to focus solely on Slade, who was coming at him with full force. They may have been old friends but they fought like enemies.

It was seconds later when Slade finally had Oliver on the ground, raising his sword Slade intended it to cut into the body of his former brother but it was knocked out of his hands by a flying arrow. Looking up from the ground, Oliver saw his guardian with her bow in hand central by several others. It was then she began her way forward, leaving the remaining members of her group in her original position.

"Who the hell are you?" Slade yelled out, fuming for being interrupted but she never once stopped waltzing towards him.

"Your worst nightmare" she snarled before attacking him.

Throwing himself over to the side Oliver watched in wonder at his guardian he didn't even know.

Felicity attacked Slade relentlessly, not giving him a second to catch a breath. Her training was taking over now and was in full effect. Her movements were swift and fluent as she and Slade engaged in combat, fighting it out until one hit the ground.

Holding her own Felicity saw at the corner of her eye as Oliver reached back for a cure arrow and aim if for Slade. She had to get him into a position where Oliver had a clear shot. Someway they had gone from hand to hand combat to metal poles. In that moment Felicity allowed her adrenaline to drive her movements as she steadily backed Slade up and Oliver took the shot, lodging the arrow directly in his upper thigh also causing him to fall to the ground with a swift roundhouse kick from Felicity.

"We will take care of him now, I guarantee you will not hear from him again" the leader promised Oliver, still dressed in the hood but his gaze won't waver from the woman standing beside the leader. Glancing beside him at Felicity, he smirked.

"If you would allow me, may I please know who you are?" she cast a look towards the man stood beside her and upon his nod, she spoke.

"Your guardian" Felicity smirked herself at Oliver's expression _someone wasn't happy with her answer _before the group took off at a run back into the shadows but she divided herself from the other men and scaled the nearest building. She was in desperate need of some shut eye but before that, there was something she needed to do first.

* * *

"You are free to pursue your own personal mission but please know that you will always have a home here" he freed her to live her life. She had served her purpose, the Arrow was safe and Slade was in A.R.G.U.S's prison and not going to be getting out for god knows how long.

"Thank you, for everything"

"There is no need for that"

"No you have taught me something valuable in this world, in this life and taught me things about myself that I didn't even know"

"You're stronger than you give yourself credit for but sometimes you forget who you came into this world as…no matter what happens to you, _never _lose sight of yourself and you'll find your way in this world"

It wasn't League protocol but she couldn't find it in herself to rein it in. Stepping forward Felicity wrapped her _now very firm and toned _arms around his neck and hugged him. Her actions came as a surprise to him but he didn't forbid the action, before he knew it he was tugged her closer to him and hugging her goodbye.

She had become like a daughter to her in the time she had spent with the League and never in his life would he forget her. He didn't care that she wasn't staying, he would still watch over her for all he knew he has never known someone like Felicity before. For something she loves she will fight till the end no matter the consequence.  
"Go"

"Until we meet again" her chosen choice of words weren't ignored by him.

* * *

_Your guardian _her words were bouncing around in his mind on the way back to the lair, now he wanted to know her identity all the more. He had sent everyone else home so he had the place to himself to think about what his life had in store for him now.

Oliver had just completed another set on the Salmon Ladder when he sensed someone in the lair and without looking he knew who it was.

Dropping to the floor in one motion, he turned towards the stairs and saw her leaning up against the wall.

"Thought you left"

"I had something I needed to do first"

"So are you going to tell me?"

"Just admit it to yourself, you've known for a while now" she shifted her gaze to him and they locked eyes and it sent something speeding through him.

"It's not possible who I am thinking of because she must be long gone by now"

"From the way it saddens you, she must've been important to you"

"You have no idea…if I could see here again, just once I would never ask for anything ever again"

"Answer me one question…why haven't you moved on?" her question shocked him because she was generally curious.

"Because I couldn't, she was…she was my everything, but it just took me a while to figure that out"

"So what would you do if could see her again?" in all the time they had been talking, she hadn't moved one inch and neither did he.

"That's the thing, she's never coming back…I've lost her for good"

When he heard her sigh, he snapped his attention to her. Her hand reached up and removed her mask. No words were exchanged, silence swamping the moment entirely.

"…it-it-it was you the entire time?" Oliver finally muttered out but the level of brokenness that soaked his words hurt her.

"You didn't think I'd leave you in the fight against Slade did you or any fight to be honest…" the rest of the sentence trailed off when she saw how he was frozen to the spot.

"I should be going I need to wire down from-"

"Why did you leave?" Oliver interrupted her.

"After everything that happened I couldn't face you guys again but I never stopped watching over you guys"

"I thought you were dead"

"For a while, so did I" she huffed silently to herself.

"You fought Slade _for me?_"

"I _never stopped fighting _for you"

Everything happened in a blur. Striding over to her, Oliver hauled her into him and dove into a wild, passionate kiss who Felicity more then willingly returned. The hold he had on her was so tight he was terrified to let go. Pulling back to breathe, Oliver took the chance to remove any remaining distance between them, holding as close as humanly possible.

"I'm sorry for leading you on to believe that I was dead…I was scared that people wouldn't see me in the same way when they saw what I'd been through when actually it was _me _who was doing the judging" the entire time Felicity couldn't pull her gaze away from his lips.

"You could've come to me…you can always come to me"

"I know I just felt so vulnerable and shaken up"

"Please never be afraid to come to me when something happens to you, I will always help you"

"I know and thank you…anyways I better head home to get some shut eye"

As Felicity turned to walk up the stairs, Oliver tightened his grip on her and brought her back flush with his front.

"No way I'm letting you go that easily again"

"Oliver"

"No"

"Fine where I am going to sleep then?" she twisted herself back round to face him.

"My house"

"_You _have an actual _house_?" she was shocked.

"I'm serious"

"And if I escape, I've had training now Oliver…it's not going to be that easy for you now"

"Really try me"

At that Felicity smirked before she ducked out of his grasp and booted it up the stairs before jumping up above the door before it flew open, Oliver shooting out like a bullet from a gun. His eyes scanned the club for any glimpse of her. Smiling at the idea, Felicity jumped from her hiding place and before Oliver had any chance of changing the positions, she had her legs wrapped around his torso also keeping his arms in place.

"You're good"

"Oh I'm not done"

Shifting herself so she bent round his shoulder Felicity then kissed him senseless while keeping his arms locked in place, giving her leverage.

"No…fair" he whined between kisses.

"Life's not fair, suck it up"

Growling Oliver wrenched his arms free from Felicity's leg grip round his torso before moving them out the doors and towards his car.

* * *

The second they got to his house on the outskirts of the city, Felicity couldn't get away from Oliver for the entire night.

When she attempted to sneak away he raced after her, threw her over his shoulder and chucked her on the bed then plonked himself on top of her to weigh her down.

"Now whose not playing fair?" she pouted, cocking her head to the side.

"I swear if you try to leave this bed again without my permission I will hunt you down and drag you back here again so don't even bother"

"Oh really is that so?"

"You bet so behave yourself" as he leant down to kiss her, she surprised him rolling them over, reversing their positions.

"So I can't do that?" she mused, straddling him.

"Felicity" Oliver growled in warning.

"Oliver" she muttered his name she knew had an effect on him. Smirking when she felt the budge of his arousal peeking up between her legs "Something you want to tell me?" to this she gave him a devilish grin.

"_You're mine_" he snarled playfully before rolling them back over and stripping them both down until they both had not an ounce of clothing on.

They spent the night making love even thought at some points it was just like straight up fucking.

* * *

When the clock had said it was a couple hours past midnight Felicity found herself unable to fall asleep while Oliver was in a deep slumber, slumped over her in his sleep.

Extracting herself from his grasp wasn't too difficult with help from her new found skills.

Felicity ended up leaning against the banister that ran along the edge of the balcony to stop you from falling over the edge. She was looking over the city that was currently lit up in the night like several fireflies. When two strong arms wrapped around her waist and tugged her back into a firm, solid surface she knew exactly who it was without even looking.

"You okay?" he whispered into her ear, resting his head on her shoulder.

"Just thinking, can't sleep my mind's too wired"

"What happened to you out there?"

"I think some things you'd agree are just better staying in the past rather than stuck in the present"

"Felicity…you can trust me"

"I know…it's just I haven't really shown them to another soul to be honest, it's not so much that I'm ashamed of them they're reminders of what I survived but I guess I'm just protective I guess"

"I can understand that when I first got back from the island, I always kept them hidden from view then I met you and I don't know, I think I just became allergic to shirts as you so gloriously put it one day"

"Not my fault you parade around like a male model"

"Actually it is, it was funny watching you watch me work out when you thought I wasn't watching when actually I was"

"Who did you first show your scars to?"

"Laurel was one of the first people to see my scars along with you and Digg"

"So basically your girlfriend…what did she say or do?" the genuine interest made him go serious.

"She pretended to accept them when I saw the truth though, it terrified her the fact that I went through all of that"  
"What did you do?"

"Ignored her response but I'm not saying it didn't hurt because it did…I've got to admit though, out of everyone your response was the one that calmed me the most, the way you just accepted them as part of me"

"It was easy to be honest they're like souvenirs just in a sickening way"

"That's a nice image to imagine them in"

"I know"

"Felicity…come back to bed with me" Oliver began leading her back towards the bedroom.

When they were finally settled down on their sides facing each other, Felicity showed Oliver all the scars littering her body. Shock and anger registered first when he saw each one and knowing how she got them but then he began slowly kissing each one, not leaving a single one untouched by him before working his way up to her mouth and kissed her passionately.

"We're survivors Felicity, never be ashamed of that"

"We're fighters until the very end" she agreed.

"You're my warrior"

"And you're my hero"

That's how they stayed throughout the night. Not two broken souls but two people who had fought for the right to live in a world filled with violence and evil. They were both lost at some point but managed to find their way back to each other again and they never once separated.

* * *

Oliver couldn't stop laughing when he found Felicity doing dot-to-dot with her scars. He was laughing so much he was doubled over, face bright red but that didn't stop her from doing the exact same thing to him whether he liked it or not.

_Oliver may or may not have answered back with a trip to the bedroom for a little punishment. _

When Felicity returned to the team Digg, Sara and Roy all wouldn't stop hugging her and couldn't believe that their girl had handed Slade his ass but Laurel was too busy being jealous from the amount of time Oliver spent stealing kisses from Felicity.

For once in his life he finally had a reason to be happy. He had his girl back and she was never leaving him again, _not that she knew that part though_.

Everything had finally gone back to normal once again and everyone was happy.


	15. Burn

_Fire surrounded her like a cage, trapping her with no way to escape. Her throat burnt like hell and her eyes were burning holes in her skull. If felt like the highest levels of torture just to commit the simple act of opening her eyes. Tears drowned her vision as her body attempted the last resort at restoring the moistness of her eyes. _

_Never in her life had she ever experiences such extreme agony. _

_Her cries were suffocated in her throat as she scanned the room for any exits, any way out of this torment but her search came up with nothing. She was trapped and she wasn't getting out. She would be forced to stay her like this, slowly dying. This was a living nightmare._

_Maybe it was her brain playing sickening tricks on her, teasing her but she heard somebody screaming her name so desperately and she swore she heard her heart shatter at the desperate plead. Begging her to answer but every time she opened her mouth to respond, the fire roared at her, muting her attempts._

_She was running out of options._

_The fire consumed the majority of the room she now recognised to be a bedroom, leaving her to curl herself up into a tight ball in the corner of the room, opposite to the door. The window was framed, taunting her._

_Nobody was coming for her._

_She heard that voice again, screaming at her but no matter what she did, she couldn't respond._

_"WAKE UP!"_

* * *

Startling herself awake, Felicity began gasping for breath like she'd been drowning. A sweat had broken out across her brow; her hair was sticking for her forehead. Looking around her a feeling of panic swarmed her, blood pounding through her ears was the only thing that she could hear. Smoke was crawling in from beneath her door. Her heart began to thud in her chest so hard, she thought it was going to burst straight through her chest.

That wasn't a nightmare.

* * *

Stumbling out of bed, Felicity swung open her door and ran downstairs. How her legs didn't suddenly collapse beneath her she would never know but in that moment, adrenaline drove her.

Her entire kitchen and living room was in flames. There was no getting in and no getting out for her now.

Grabbing her phone from the table beside the staircase, Felicity raced back up the stairs and called the first person on her contacts. Putting the device to her ear, her breath came out more laboured with every ring.

"Felicity"

She did her best not to break down at his voice and how worried it sounded.

"Felicity, are you alright?"

"….Oliver…" she could feel the waves of panic crashing down on her. Forcing herself to take deep breathes she pushed on but knew that panic wasn't far away.

"Felicity, what's happening?"

"…my-my kitchen…living room…downstairs…fire…hot…hard-hard-hard to breathe" stammering out as her body collapsed on the floor.

Leaning forward, Felicity closed her eyes and tried her best to bring her walls up but they were currently smashed to pieces.

"Felicity…listen to me, I need to breathe deep breaths alright…listen to my voice and tell me where you are"

"Bedroom…Oliver…the smoke is getting in…I can't breathe properly"

"Felicity we're on our way…what I want you to do is stay low and focus on your breathing alright…get as far away from the fire as possible okay, can you do that for me?"

"Oliver…I can hear it…it's coming for me" tears gushed down her face making puddles on the floor as she whispered into the phone. She couldn't stop her hands from shaking.

"Felicity you're going to be alright, I'm not going to let anything hurt you…I'm coming for you, we're almost there…just hold on alright, hold on for me and _don't let go_" Felicity could hear him breaking down over the phone.

Crackling sounded from the hallway. It was growing closer to her.

Backing herself into the furthest corner, Felicity clutched the phone that connected her to Oliver like a lifeline.

The rhythm in which her chest rose and fell increased as the door was burnt to the floor, the only thing left guarding her from the fire raging.

"Felicity?" at Oliver's voice everything seemed to slow. Swallowing, Felicity whispered to him.

"…Oliver?"

"I'm here…hold on Felicity we're nearly there, just nearing the turning to your street now" she knew they were in the car and Digg was currently flooring it to her house.

But she knew they were going to be too late.

"…Oliver…I'm sorry…I-"

"NO! Don't you dare start that, we're going to get you out…you're not leaving us, you're not leaving _me_ Felicity, do you hear me? Don't you dare let go"

"…there's no way out and no way in…you can't help me Oliver, not now"

"Please Felicity…_don't_, don't do this to me"

"Oliver it's right in front of me…I just want to say…I-I-I love you, I always have and always will and Digg will always be my brother I never had…thank you Oliver, for everything"

"Felicity…don't…please, please I need you with me…Felicity?"

"Sorry"

Before he had the chance to respond Felicity ended the call and lowered herself to the ground, gently laying her head on the floor, she closed her eyes and filled her mind with thoughts of everything and everyone she loved and waited for the end to draw.

It's always darker before the dawn.

* * *

Oliver and Digg had just pulled up when Felicity ended the call. He could see the flames engulfing her house. The fire department had already been called and was currently racing to get here in time but he wasn't waiting for them, not when the most important person to him lay inside.

The next thing he knew he was running towards the house when he was suddenly restrained before he came anywhere near the door.

"If you go anywhere near there, you risk injuring yourself" a fireman stated to him but he wasn't listening.

"I'm not going to just let her die in there" he growled, trying to get away from the fireman but it wasn't any use because right now four firemen were holding him back while others ran inside with the hosepipe.

* * *

She didn't remember getting out. One minute she was on the phone apologising to Oliver and the next, blurry faces appeared in her vision before she lost the battle with consciousness.

* * *

When she woke up, there was a pressure on her right hand while something covered both her mouth and nose. Blinking open heavy eyelids, Felicity instantly eyed the heart monitor to her left side. Realising it was actually an oxygen mask supplying her with needed oxygen, she moved onto the next task. Seeing what the pressure was on her right hand.

Looking down, she saw the outline of a man through half-open eyes with a tight grasp on her right hand, his head resting just to the side of their entwined hands.

Fully opening her eyes, Felicity registered the feeling of half her body wrapped up.

What the hell had happened?

"Hey" a voice to the side of her caught her attention. It was Digg. "You're awake, thank God" she couldn't respond to him, only able to blink several times.

"You have no idea how worried the both of us were about you, Felicity"

When a coughing fit slowly took possession of her body, the jolting might have caused Oliver to wake up.

"Felicity, you're awake" he scooted his chair closer to her bed but she couldn't help the fear radiating through her when she couldn't feel her left leg at all. The heart monitor beside her apparently didn't like the way she was currently breathing and caused it to rise steadily, her eyes darted around the room when she finally realised she was actually in a hospital.

"Hey Felicity look at alright…you're okay now, we're with you nothing's going to hurt you" Oliver tried to calm her but the sound of his voice was muffled by her still increasing heartbeat. Panic once again swarmed her when she remembered what had happened previously.

"Felicity you have to calm down, you're scaring yourself" she managed to pick out from his constantly moving mouth. He came to sit on the side of her bed and cupped her face with his hand.

* * *

Felicity was vaguely aware of the next events that took place. She was sedated to numb her and stop her from panicking all the more, running the risk of endangering herself.

Her doctor had explained that she'd suffered major burns down her left leg and up her side slightly but other than that there was nothing to worry about. She assured her that they'd heal in time, as long as she took good care of herself then she'd be perfectly fine.

A couple weeks in the hospital, with daily visits from the team, she was finally discharged but having to promise the doctor that someone would be there to look after her. Oliver gladly promised the doctor that he'd take up the role.

* * *

Typically, both Digg and Oliver never left her side once as they escorted her to the car.

"You can just drop me off at a nearby hotel, I don't mind staying there for a while" Felicity said, not breaking her gaze from the window during her speech.

"Don't think so, until you recover you're staying with me" Oliver reached over and went to grasp her hand but she couldn't help the way her hand flinched away from his touch. Entwining her fingers with both hands, Felicity turned away from him and held herself together tightly.

She knew it was stupid but right then, especially in her moment of weakness but she just didn't want anyone to touch her because truth be told she felt so broken, so damaged by the thought of having burns running down the length of her body reminding her of the pain she went through. It was a way of the pain that taunted her, had played with her in every way. The moment where she had felt trapped and she thought she was going to die still lingered in her mind and she couldn't help it.

She knew it wasn't fair on Oliver since he had gone through the same thing but this was different he had gotten his scars from being strong she hadn't. She'd gotten herself trapped and that feeling would never go away.

How can you let someone in so close to your wound when all the time, you were so ashamed of them?

* * *

Oliver knew exactly what was happening with her when she flinched away from him and held herself so rigidly close to the door of the car and he hated every second of having to watch it.

He knew exactly how she hated the idea of being marked but her marks thankfully weren't like his and he despised the fact of her being wounded too but he knew all too well that there was nothing he could for her, this was something she had to get over by herself, the only thing he could offer her was the knowledge that he was there for her whenever she needed him.

* * *

Felicity had been staying with Oliver at his house for about a week now and whenever possible she had avoided all mirrors that revealed her scarred skin.

Oliver hadn't been able to get that close to her for the entire time. She didn't melt into him anymore, she held herself up forcefully whenever they crossed paths or if they touched. He missed everything little thing about what she used to do and he never thought he would ever hear himself saying that.

For the first few days she hadn't gotten a lot of sleep because when she fell asleep it was always the same thing over and over again. She was stuck in her house with the fire surrounding her and always ended with her gasped for breath with Oliver looming over her.

Sunday afternoon, Felicity had just risen out of bed after spending endless hours just lying there, when she finally had enough. She had been avoiding that part of her for a week now and goddammit she wasn't going to let herself anymore so she stood in front of the mirror and finally took a good look at the scars marking her skin twisting around her left leg and running up her side slightly. When she ran her eyes up the scars a third time, she caught the sight of Oliver leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest.

_'Not this time Felicity don't lock him out' _she thought as he entered the room.

Oliver slowly walking up behind her but stopped a foot or so behind her, clearly not sure if she wanted him to touch her and it hurt her that he now was silently asking her for permission to touch her, so she took a small step backwards and sank into him as he wrapped his arms around her from behind.

It was mainly from that point on that Felicity found both sleeping and accepting herself so much easier.


	16. Paradise

**So this fic is mainly revolved around a word prompt I decided to use after listening to a song. So what better than seeing Team Arrow _finally _taking an overdue holiday?**

**Hope you enjoy and as always, please leave a review and tell me your thoughts. **

**Thank you x**

_Now this was the life_ Felicity thought as Team Arrow made themselves comfortable on the beach.

Spreading out her towel across the warm sand Felicity turned to the sound of Roy rocketing into the sea, clearly not holding back at all.

Roy, Thea, Digg, Lyla, Laurel, Sara, Oliver and herself all decided that they were all in desperate need of a vacation, so the group had randomly chosen somewhere and just lost themselves in the idea of finally being able to let everything go and just relax.

The first place they had visited was one of the beaches. The beaches in Miami were incredible, the people just lying there basking in the sun.

Because Lyla was just beginning to start her second trimester, she and Digg were limited to joining the several others soaking up the rays.

Thea, Felicity, Laurel and Sara were all lined up beside one another lounging in their deckchairs, sipping their cocktails.

That left Oliver to his own devices. Lying flat on his stomach facing the waves, he was content with watching the waves flicking Roy, who was like a kid on the first time in the ocean with that look of pure joy on their face.

"Hey guys you coming in or what!" he yelled, his head bobbing along which made him smirk slightly.

"I think I'd like a dip" removing her sunglasses and placing them on the side bar of her chair, Felicity rose from her seat and reached for the hem of her hot pink, one shoulder throw-over.

This didn't go by unnoticed by a certain Queen, whose gaze was entirely locked on her. During these past months after that blasted night at the mansion, the atmosphere between him and Felicity had been dead tense and it was obvious that they weren't going to be able to go back to the position they were in before. He knew they were just friends but the more time he spent around her, the harder it was to stay convinced of the fact.

When Felicity stripped herself of her over-sized shirt, her one piece swimsuit made his breath hitch in his throat. Her leopard print swimsuit was the beginning of his downfall, he was sure of it.

The neckline of the suit plunged deep, showing off her cleavage in all its glory while the sides were non-existent and the back certainly didn't do anything to help either. The strings holding the entire thing up were crossed over the expanse of her back, leaving the rest on show. All in all the damn thing caused shocks straight to his core, who was he kidding? When she wore things like that which hugged her body showing off all the curves of her body, he couldn't stop himself from stalking her with his eyes. Thank god he had decided to lay on his stomach, otherwise this would definitely be awkward for everyone.

Felicity trotted into the sea before diving under the water's surface.

Not a lot of people knew it but she was an excellent swimming and diver, not to brag or anything but it was true. When she was in LA, Felicity had taken residence at the local beach to avoid being the target of one of her mother's painful-to-listen-to rants about how her life wasn't the life she expected of her and whatnot.

By swimming, all those memories melted away leaving her with just the sea to confide in and one thing she had learnt when she was younger was that it was good at keeping your secrets.

After the past couple months, Felicity had just forced herself to ignore Oliver and his actions towards her because she couldn't deal with anymore of his shit to be entirely truthful. The fake 'I love you' had hurt her enough but his behaviour whenever they were around each other had changed considerably and the most painful part was that she didn't even know if they could ever go back to the way they were before.

He wasn't an idiot to the fact that after Felicity had dove into the sea, groups of men had gathered around her position in the ocean and it was driving him crazy just having to lay there and watch as they watched her every move. It sent shivers up his spine.

Not being able to deal with it anymore, Oliver made his way to Felicity and Roy's position in the water where they began splashing each other. If he wanted to go back to normality with her, he was going to have to be the one to set it off.

Signalling for Roy to be quiet, Oliver snuck up behind Felicity. Ducking under, he moved himself so he was directly underneath her.

Shrieking in glee at his antics he wiggled her up on his shoulders. She was clinging onto his shoulders to keep her balance but when a devilish smirk covered her features, he knew he was in trouble.

Throwing herself back into the water, Felicity took Oliver with her and because of the momentum he had no choice but to go with her.

Coming back up for air, he glared at her but she just smiled and splashed him, series of giggles followed which put a smile on his face.

"Oh you are so going to get it now!" he laughed as he sprung across the water towards her, scooping her up in his arms and throwing her into the water beside him. When she came back up, the size of the smile of her face told him that they were going to be okay.

But it still didn't stop her from taking her revenge on him though, and from the laughs coming from the beach it seemed that the rest of the team were glad that the pair had gone back to being themselves around each other again.

The moment turned serious when Felicity planted a kiss on Oliver's lips before swimming away from him and back towards the beach again.

His world froze around her but then snapped back when he saw her moving towards the safety of their friends.

Smiling, he raced after her growling which made her laughter bubble up and burst through the top. Upon catching up with her, he swept her off her feet and into his arms once again.

"_Oliver _let me go" Felicity whined while still laughing.

"Nuh uh, not happening" he was met with a challenged look.

"OMG Laurel's naked" her eyes widening.

"What!" when he turned away from her, she took the opportunity to scrabble out of his arms.

"Sucker"

"Oh that's it" fortunately, for him, she wasn't able to get that far away so it allowed him to come up behind her and throw her over his shoulder.

"Oliver! Put...me...down" she tried her chance at squirming out from beneath his arm but it locked behind her leg, securing her to him/

_There was no way out of this, dammit _she thought.

"Nope" popping the 'p', Oliver moved back to her original position in her deckchair and sat down with her firmly planted on his lap.

"Good luck escaping Liz" Thea sniggered at her brothers antics for his now evident feelings for the completely oblivious I.T girl and the way Felicity tried to pout but was overcome seconds later in fit of giggles, which in turn just made Oliver chuckle all the more. Laurel and Sara couldn't contain their laughter anymore when Felicity began trying to wiggle out of his grasp but was rewarded by him tightening his grip, smirking down at her.

"How much I want to just bang their heads together" Lyla muttered to Digg, who was looking on with a shake of his head.

"Maybe this vacation was something they needed after everything, something to get them back to their old selves again…hopefully nothing too drastic has to happen to get them to finally figure out they're at their best together"

"I seriously hope so if they're going to become the godparents of little Digglet" that snapped his head her way.

"_Really? _ You too! I swear Felicity's just contagious altogether, first it was Team Arrow and now it's Digglet, what next?"

If only he knew.


	17. Waiting to Exhale

**I know this one is kind of short but it was still awesome to write nevertheless but I hope you lot like it.**

**As always please leave a review, _it makes me happy_ :P**

There was no gravity holding her down. No danger, not threats, no panicked thoughts. There was just _nothing. _There was no more pain anymore, it was just silent. There wasn't darkness just light, the brightness of the moon shone down upon her warming her; it was if it had wrapped her up in its own blanket of safety. Huh she didn't even feel cold just warmth. The world around her was mute.

To be entirely truthful it felt kind of serene just floating there surrounded by the water, it felt like a weird type of dream. She knew that this was bizarre but she didn't care. For the first time in her life she could see clearly and finally, _it was about her_.

* * *

The van had dove off the bridge and plunged deep into the water below, sinking down to the bed. She had barely managed to escape the ropes that banded her limbs down before they hit the water's surface. She knew that she should've tried her hand at escaping from the van but she panicked, the men in the back were dragging her down alongside them. There was no possible way she could've escaped without severely injuring herself, then how could she possibly get out of here?

The men that held her captive during her kidnapping after a mission gone wrong, and her hopeless timing as usual ended up with her being snatched right off her feet without another sound but that didn't mean she wasn't able to send some sort of sound to notify her teammates something bad was happening to her, held knives pressed up to her throat. Images of Slade's sword at the corner of her vision plagued her thoughts, her memories and made the situation more deadly in her perspective than it was actually made out to be.

Water flooded in through the windows, trapping them layer upon layer. Just from glancing at the front she knew the driver and the man seated beside him were already dead.

Everyone around her was panicking, trying desperately to escape when they already knew they were dead. There was no escaping now.

One moment they were on their feet, hammering at the sides of the van and the next they were still.

She was the last one remaining and she knew that more than ever.

Trying one last attempt at breaking free of the shackles bracing her, covering her all over she clutched one of her heels bobbing around like an apple and broke the window. If she were to die, it wasn't going to be in there.

Her figure slid out the window, a perfect fit and she was free.

Everywhere was numb courtesy of the adrenaline pumping through her veins like sprinters on a racetrack. Trying to kick her way up to the surface, she knew it was no use. Her body was wearing down on her and it didn't take a genius to know that it wouldn't take long for the water to take her on its way.

If the fight was there she could've made it, she would've fought until the last breath but she couldn't. So she embraced the feeling of knowing that she fought with everything she had and let herself be swept away by the current.

* * *

It all happened in slow motion. She had sensed a presence approaching her and spent the last shred of energy that she had left to drag her eyes open. Her vision was blurry, she couldn't make anything out. She felt something wrap around her arm and begin to drag her up but her time was running thin.

* * *

"COME ON! FIGHT DAMMIT FELICITY, FIGHT! YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO LEAVE ME, NOT NOW, NOT EVER!" Oliver roared while pushing down on her chest but she laid, sprawled out in front of him completely motionless, lifeless even but there was no way in hell he was giving up on her.

When he had seen her body just floating there in the water not far from the van, his entire world had stopped but when he saw how lifeless she looked everything came crumbling down. He couldn't lose her.

"Come on Felicity, please don't give up now" Digg pleaded desperately.

Working as a team, Oliver breathed out long breaths into her while Digg pressed down on her chest.

"FELICITY" Oliver sobbed out for her; every breath he breathed was for her praying she would come back again.

* * *

After what felt like eternity Felicity's eyes shot open and she lurched herself to the side away from both men, chucking up all the water she had inhaled.

Gasping down breaths, her eyes shut tight as she remembered everything and how close she'd been to that final line.

Somebody brought her back into a firm and solid surface; she didn't need to be told that it was Oliver. Piecing all of it together, he must've been the one to pull her out, the one who saved her yet again.

"Well this night has definitely been eventful…where the hell have you two been anyways?" Felicity found her voice.

"God's sake Felicity" Digg couldn't help the smile while Oliver dropped his head to her neck.

"What too soon?" she choked through a laugh, brightening up the night.

When Roy joined them all three of them were laughing and when he saw Felicity, it didn't take him long to join in either.

No matter what she went through, Felicity could never be brought down, she was the strongest one out of them all.


	18. Home Is Where The Heart Is

**I had a thought and went with it. - Shortest. Summary. Ever XD  
**

**Hope you guys enjoy this one, I enjoyed writing it.**

**As always please leave a review, tell me your thoughts x  
**

The second he stepped foot on the front yard of the house he once called home, he froze. Memories of his life, his childhood and awkward teenage years ransacked him, swamped his mind, his thoughts, his senses and leaving him with a sense of longing for it all to go back to normal but no matter what it could never return to how it once was. He felt empty and he why.

Oliver was the last remaining Queen.

His father, _dead_, his mother, _dead_, Tommy, who he always considered his brother was _dead _and his sister was off somewhere in the world trying to find her way, alone.

As he wandered through the halls and each of the rooms, he remembered happy and content pieces of his life when he was younger. Christmases spent as a family with Thea and him complaining over the amount of presents and the choice of films. Laughing at each other. Wild birthdays celebrated with each again year. Days with Tommy and him, their younger selves, rampaging through the house and causing absolute chaos.

Not once in his life had he considered life to be so short. He would do anything to go back to the time before that stupid boat, the Queens' Gambit. That was when his life officially ended, when 'Ollie' had perished beneath the waves and 'Oliver' had been born and had been forced to pick up the pieces of his life back in Starling after his time on that blasted island. Not a lot of people saw him for the changed man he claimed to be.

Thinking about it, only Felicity and Diggle knew him for him. _Felicity. _She never once judged him on his actions in the past, she only cared for the present and future. She never hated him even with all the opportunities she has rolling at her feet. _God_, how could he have been so blind? Ever since day 1 Felicity had been there for him every step of the way and in every aspect. She was the only person who never stopped believing in him, even if she was the only one, but none of that stopped her.

Laughter used to make the mansion come alive but now? It didn't feel at all like home, instead it felt like walking through somewhere that once used to make him feel safe. Now it just felt haunted, like walking through an old memory. He was the only once in the entire house, he was on his own to complete the remaining chapters in his life. Scenes continued to play out around him, excluding him from the events happening and making him feel like the outcast he was. He couldn't do this.

Not being able to stop himself, Oliver spun on his heel and all but dashed out of the front door as fast as his legs could carry him. Throwing his side over his bike, the engine roared to life as the Ducati carried him away from the house.

Oliver didn't need to stop and think about where he would go because his body was already making that decision for him. Right now he needed, _craved _comfort and that understanding he had spent ages looking for and there was only one person who could provide him with such warmth that just melted everything away.

That gentle and caring soul belonged to Felicity.

* * *

Showing up at her doorstep hadn't felt cold or haunting, it felt warm and inviting. When he saw Felicity standing there with her hair tumbling past her shoulders, spreading out and cascading in long waves topped off with an oversized MIT shirt and old jogging bottoms…it felt like home. He felt safe and loved there with her.

Felicity knew instantly that he was troubled from his expression alone. So she clutched one hand in her own and guided him in towards the couch. The second they were seated, Oliver clung to her, desperately seeking the warmth only she could provide. He collapsed into her, his head resting in her lap, tucked in beneath her arms.

He knew from that point on that he was home. They say that home is where the heart is, well his heart has always and will always lay with Felicity. She was his home, his family, his life. He owed it all to her, everything that he was had been because of her.

They just slept through the night in each other's arms. Felicity had grabbed a blanket she always had thrown over the back of her couch and wrapped it around them. Oliver came closer to her willingly. Snuggling against her further.

He didn't know a night where he had gotten such a good night's sleep.

* * *

A couple weeks following that night, Oliver had returned to the mansion to say his last goodbyes but this time Felicity was by his side. Not once did release his hold of her hand. He found it so much easier to walk the grounds once again with her by his side because no matter what life threw at them, she would always remain by his side and he would never let her go.


	19. A Wild Ride

**Sorry that I haven't been able to upload another chapter. The whole workload thing is completely throwing me off as well as ideas for each chapter to be entirely truthful with you guys but anyways before I forget _and I most likely will _the fanfic 'Secret Life' I'm putting on hold until after I've finished A Change of View and/or Forbidden Love so sorry to those of you who were waiting on another update of that. **

**So anyways here's a new chapter, I hope you enjoy reading it because I definitely enjoyed writing it and as always, please review and tell me your thoughts on this as I'd love to hear them.  
**

**Thank you x**

Fine she admits it, maybe this wasn't exactly the _best _idea she's ever had but right now she doesn't dwell on any of those kinds of thoughts.

Today had been tough on her and the sole route of the problem was the fact that they never allowed her to do _anything _where she could be hurt in the process. So basically all she was there for was tech support and she _hated _that in every way she can possibly think of, and believe her when she says _there's a lot of ways_.

So she had claimed that she was feeling fatigue from being behind the monitors for a long period of time during their mission and that she was going to head home when the corner of her eye caught the glimmer of Oliver's Ducati.

To be honest, Felicity was in desperate need of an adrenaline rush and something, _anything _to distract her from either marching back into the lair and shooting both men with their own weapons or going home and wrapping herself up in her favourite blanket and diving into yet another cartoon of Ben &amp; Jerry's while watching an episode of Jeremy Kyle, wondering what she did wrong and she _loathed _that.

Not giving herself a chance to back out of the in-the-moment-decision, the engine roared to life as she just drove not sure where she was heading.

* * *

"Is it just me or was Felicity acting a little strange tonight?" Digg wondered aloud while cleaning his pistol.

"No I thought that as well, there was just something off about her" Oliver was fiddling around with his arrows, deciding to shoot a few tennis balls.

A beeping suddenly sounded from Felicity's monitors, heading over and seeing what it was he frowned when he saw her tracking device heading out of Starling. He swore he had seen her arrive in a cab, so he assumed something was wrong with her car but if that was so then how the hell was she moving that fast.

"Oliver what is it?"

"Felicity…her tracker says she's heading out of Starling at quite a high speed but I didn't see her car anywhere so how is she going that fast?"

"You don't think she's been taken do you?"

"I'll bring up the security cameras"

A second later they both watched in wonder and anger as Felicity drove off on one of Oliver's bikes.

"What the hell is she playing at?" he exclaimed, fury venting out of him. Why? That was the main question in his head.

"Keep the questions silent for now, let's just go get her…I'll drive the Bentley"

Oliver pulled out his phone to keep an eye on the tracker and Felicity.

* * *

The night whizzed by her as the wind combed through her hair.

This felt amazing to just feel the purr of the Ducati beneath her as adrenaline rushed through her system, it was just her and the bike no one else. Nothing else mattered and she loved every second of it.

She thanked her decision to where her yoga pants and oversized hoodie instead of a skirt and blouse, she hadn't been asked to come into work today so she took it as a comfort day but of course that was before the whole mission thing so yeah fun, because it allowed her to keep her warmth instead of the cold air rushing past to steal her heat.

Then something hit her.

She'd left her tracker on and if she went further than a certain distance it would alert the guys. _Dammit! _How could she forget about something she had persisted they all wear.

At first she was considering just bypassing the whole thing and turning back but at that current moment, she didn't want to. So she did the next best thing, turning down a dirt track Felicity looked for somewhere to stop and park the bike while she just took as much time as she had left to sit down and just relax but apparently the track had other things in store for her.

The surface of the track suddenly became bumpy and holes began appearing, sucking up the ground. As she ran over one of the pot holes, causing the bike to falter and throwing her off to the side.

Trying to land as soft as she could, Felicity landed on her left side and she heard the crack of a bone. Before she could do anything to stop it, a shriek escaped her throat. Clutching her wrist to her chest, she tried to will the pain away, cursing when it failed miserably.

Changing tactics, Felicity rolled over onto her uninjured side she pushed herself up onto her feet but instantly saw her mistake when a fire erupted in her right ankle. Shifting most of her weight onto her left foot, she began running over her options in her current situation when suddenly she heard the familiar sound of a Bentley.

Oh shit.

* * *

Hm. That's weird.

"Digg take the next left…why has she come here?"

"No clue"

"She's stopped"

"I think I know why" Oliver frowned at Digg, who then nodded ahead where they could see Felicity standing a few metres away from his Ducati, lying on its side.

"Felicity! What the hell?" Oliver shouted slamming the door before striding over to her.

Digg, meanwhile, was content with staying in the car. Not wanting to have _anything _to do with what, he thought, was going to be happening next.

Something he was picking up was the pain that Felicity was hiding well but he could see from her stance, her knew her far too well.

"Oh don't worry I didn't damage it" her remark received a glare from him. But she was telling the truth, there wasn't a single scratch on it.

Moving over to his bike, he mounted it before reaching to the front of the bike and pulling out a mini USB stick. Reaching into his pocket for his phone, he inserted the USB into the charging socket (he had once wondered out loud if she could design not only a USB stick that could plug into the charger socket in his phone, she'd considered it a challenge and the next day it was on his desk ready for use).

_Oh no _Felicity thought, _he's going to be finding out probably so LEG IT_. She now remembered that Oliver had told her that he wanted her to install a camera into the bike to keep track of it. How had she managed to forget that _as well?_

* * *

When Oliver was watching the video captured during the entire time, (well ever since he knew it had been 'borrowed' by Felicity) he hid the shock at how well she managed the powerful bike.

But when it showed her being thrown off (both he and Digg had seen the potholes in the road) and her shrieking out in pain (he could hear the crack of the bone) he shuddered and glanced up at Felicity's body now a speck in the distance.

Even from here he could tell she was slightly limping and already knew she was clutching her wrist to her chest because it's what your instincts tell you to do, to keep it from being even more injured.

Growling at her for being so stubborn and stopping to consider this might injure her further, he turned the bike on and went to catch up with her. Erasing any distance between them in seconds.

If she wanted stubbornness, he'd show her stubbornness.

* * *

_Fine _so what if she has a bruised ankle and broken wrist, she still doesn't need someone to baby her and what happens, he comes to cut her off from walking any further by parking the bike in front of her.

If she could cross her arms then she would have them crossed by now.

"Get on" Oliver grounded out, not leaving any room for arguments, "Felicity I swear to god if you don't get on this bike _right now_ then you're going to seriously regret it"

"I don't need to be babied I can take care of myself"

"And you're doing a brilliant job so far; you've broken your wrist, hurt your ankle probably bruised it, fell off a bike and bruised your entire body as well and don't bother trying to hide it from me I know out of everyone how to play that card"

"Then take a guess what I'm going to be saying next"

"Why won't you just let me take care of you?"

"Because it just makes me feel useless and completely helpless and vulnerable" when she tried to go around him, he cut her off again.

"You are not weak or helpless or useless, out of this team you're probably the most important one…besides I can do this all night also you may be forgetting that I'm not the one whose hurt, so what makes you think I won't just take advantage of that right here, right now?"

"I'm not the one who runs around in a green hood, I don't know, _saving the city_" her voice soaked to the core with sarcasm, "And you wouldn't because you'd know I'd never treat you the same after"

"Felicity!" she was pushing all of the right buttons right now and he knew what he would do if she pushed him too far. "Just get on the damn bike and let's just talk it out at home"

"And by that you mean, _once you get your ass on this bike I'm not going to be leaving you alone until every single injury on your body has healed and I think you don't know that as soon as we get back into Starling I'm probably not going to even allow you to walk on your own_, am I right?"

"Get…On…The…Damn…Bike…NOW!" the majority of the time; it's goddamn annoying that Felicity is the only one that isn't affected by any of his threats.

"Oliver, I'm not another one of your criminals…you can't intimidate me into doing anything that I don't want to do…but since it is the middle of the night and I feel like I can sleep for centuries, I'll get on the bloody bike…only on one condition though, no growly-Arrow voice/attempted-intimidation thing because it really doesn't work on me and _no _telling me what to do, don't think for a single second that I haven't taken care of myself on my own before, alright"

Reluctantly hobbling up to bike, before she could think about how she was going to get on, Oliver took care of that part. Boxing her in between his body and the handlebars, he didn't hesitate with hitting the gas and speeding back to what Felicity thought was the direction of the lair.

She couldn't have been more wrong.

Something neither one of them seemed to notice was that Digg had left about ten minutes before them to spend some time with Lyla.

* * *

Parking his bike in the garage, Oliver carried Felicity into his secluded home, which he had thought to purchase before everything went wrong and he lost the company.

It was located in a quiet part of the city, just on the outskirts of Starling. He brought her here because he wants to have her close, he also has a feeling he might be met by some unpleasant dreams but if he had her near him, it might brighten them up a bit.

"Why'd you bring me here?"

"Because I want you close to me"

"I told you I can take care of myself and it's not your fault I drove into a pothole, what are you going to do? Threaten it until it fills itself in?"

"Ha ha funny"

"Little bit, yeah"

"Besides you don't need to take care of yourself _alone _because now you have me"

"Oh joy, I get to be duct taped to the guest bed in case I decide to take a stroll"

"Well now that I think about it…"

"Oliver!"

"I'm not the one who deliberately put themselves in harm's way by driving off on the bike in the first place"

"What? Don't you think I can handle it? You have no idea what happened to me in my college days, who knows I could've become a deadly assassin and you wouldn't know about it"

All the time Oliver carried her to the living room, setting her down on the couch while retreating into the kitchen to grab the first aid kit and an emergency ice pack too. Sitting on the edge of the wide couch, he gestured for her wrist, which she still kept cradled close to her chest.

"Deadly assassins don't fall off their bikes because of potholes in the ground" he stated without looking her in the eyes.

Handling her wrist carefully, like touching the wings of a butterfly, with the upmost care possible.

* * *

Half an hour later Oliver had splinted her wrist and made a makeshift cast around it too he said he would give her a proper one tomorrow when they went back to the Foundry, and wrapped an ice pack round her ankle, to help with the recovery, and now they were both sitting on his bed watching reruns of Friends.

They were both laid out with their pillows propped up behind them, Felicity's injured ankle cushioned on a fluffy pillow. He wasn't too worried about the makeshift cast he had given her for her wrist because it supplied enough protection for keep her from harming her broken wrist further.

"So you learnt how to ride a bike during college then?" Oliver broke the silence with a question that hadn't been able to leave him alone all day.

Looking over at his curiosity peeling off around him, Felicity returned her gaze to the TV.

"Yeah but it didn't end so well" she huffed in amusement at the memory.

"Why, what happened?" he was curious by her reaction to the apparent _funny _memory.

Why did he have a feeling that it wasn't going to be funny in any way?

"Car collided with me from the side, didn't see him until it was too late. I think I was in hospital for about 6 months but all-in-all I got off pretty lucky and in case you're wondering, I find it funny how both times I was on the back of a bike they both ended badly" she clarified upon seeing his reaction to it, he looked like he'd been socked in the gut.

"Yeah you're right, remind me not to let you get on another bike without me or Digg knowing, just in case we have to call an ambulance"

"Oh aren't you hilarious" sarcasm etched over her voice.

"And don't you forget it" Oliver remarked, smirking down at her

"Don't think I'll be able to, you'd keep reminding me 24/7"

"You were right about one thing though" leaning down to whisper in her ear, Felicity keep the shiver at bay "I'm not going to be letting you walk on that ankle for a while, meaning I'm going to carry you everywhere just to annoy you"

"Oh goddammit"

Her and her big mouth, why couldn't she keep it shut? Now she was done for.

* * *

True to his word, there wasn't a time where Oliver actually let her walk on her ankle but just to annoy him, she pretended as if she actually enjoyed it.


	20. Never Say Never Again

**Sorry that I haven't been able to upload another chapter. The whole workload thing is completely throwing me off as well as ideas for each chapter to be entirely truthful with you guys but anyways before I forget _and I most likely will _the fanfic 'Secret Life' I'm putting on hold until after I've finished A Change of View and/or Forbidden Love so sorry to those of you who were waiting on another update of that. **

**So anyways here's a new chapter, I hope you enjoy reading it because I definitely enjoyed writing it and as always, please review and tell me your thoughts on this as I'd love to hear them.  
**

**Thank you x**

The sound of their rushed footsteps echoed around the hallway as they hurried through, towards the rooftops for their best chance at escaping.

It was his entire fault, he never should've brought her here in the first place. Diggle or Roy should be here, not Felicity. Anything could go wrong and honestly he wasn't even sure if there was anything he could do to stop any of it from happening.

The second they burst out of the door leading to the roof, everything seemed to whizz past leaving their actions to play out in slow motion.

Once atop the roof, Oliver shot an arrow with a line attached to it into the building nearest them and wrapped his arm about her waist, pulling her close, before sending the pair of them flying through the air.

However, the one account they weren't counting on was the men that were chasing them to follow them up to the roof then shoot the line, cutting them off mere metres from safety.

As they fell Oliver's arm released its grip from the place around her waist so she was left to free fall alone. She could feel the g-force slamming against her face.

She will never be able to say how but one second they're both falling and the next Oliver's hand is securing him on the ledge of a window while his other hand catches her flailing arm and slides down to firmly grasp her hand in his.

Looking up, Felicity saw the strain the combined weight was having on Oliver as it was evident on his face. Glancing over at where the men had last been seen. She saw how they had just disappeared, probably content with their actions and the fact that they most likely would fall to their deaths.

Felicity didn't need to be a genius to know that she was going to be the death of Oliver. She was going to bring him down with her.

She knew what she had to do.

"Oliver! Oliver you have to let me go!" trying to keep her voice from breaking at the hurtful truth, Felicity remained strong.

From the way his head snapped down at her, his pupils blown full.

"What! NO! I'm not going to let you fall to your death! If I let go, you're dead, there's no way you can survive that!"

"I know but we don't have another choice here! If you don't let me go then we both go down! It's either me or both of us Oliver! You have to let me go!"

"NO! We'll find another way out of this! There is always another way!" tears were evident in his voice, removing that strength that had always supported his tone. He was slowly crumbling down.

"Oliver, there's no other way" she partially whispered up to him.

"Yes there is, there's got to be another way! I'm not letting you go Felicity, I can't lose you!" the tears made themselves known as a few escaped and trailed down his cheeks, splashing against her skin. "Please, don't do this Felicity. I need you, I can't lose you. Not now, not ever" his strength was fading and he didn't care.

That alone caused her to strain at the thought of him being effected by her possible death but there was no way out of this. She would _not _bring him down with her if the worst happened.

Felicity knew that Oliver would never let go of her hand. That was the problem. He could never make that kind of decision.

So she made it for him.

Releasing her grip on his hand, she was met with resistance when his grip only tightened to the point of pain. His grasp had now become a vice around her own. She couldn't escape now.

DAMMIT OLIVER!

"FELICITY! DON'T YOU DARE LET GO!" he screamed down at her. Truthfully, she wasn't sure if she was afraid of dying or just simply letting go of his hand.

"I WILL NOT BRING YOU DOWN WITH ME!" she cried back, tears battling to get out.

At this point, Felicity was avoiding eye contact with him. If she so much as glanced for second into his deep blue eyes, she wouldn't be able to go through with this.

Oliver was panicking, not sure what to do but he was sure on one thing. He was not letting her fall. He didn't care if he hurt her now, if it saved her from dying he was glad to do it. Looking up at the ledge, his eyes scanned for any possible ways to haul them both up to safety.

That's when he heard it, the sound that was like music to his ears.

"OLIVER, GRAB MY HAND!"

Glancing up, Oliver's heart somersaulted when his gaze fell upon Digg reaching down, hand outstretched with Roy stopping him from falling out.

"I'm going to send Felicity up first!" he called out to the rest of his team.

"Hurry!" was Digg's only reply.

"Felicity grab Digg's hand" the only thing he said before hauling her up to his chest with his remaining strength.

_Getting Felicity to safety _was his number one priority, then he'd worry about himself.

Banding his arm round her legs, Oliver began hoisting Felicity up towards Diggle.

"Okay Felicity I got you!"

When Felicity was safe inside the building and Digg turned his attention to Oliver, he released a breath he didn't know he was holding.

When Oliver was safely inside the building too, he saw Felicity's body completely tensed up and he knew she was trying to stop herself from shaking.

* * *

The minute they all entered the Foundry, Felicity of course in front making a beeline to the safety of her computers, Oliver knew no matter how hard he tried that he wouldn't be able to stop the words from escaping his mouth before he could do anything to stop them.

"What the hell were you thinking!" stalking towards her, Felicity's attention turned her around in his direction.

"What are you talking about?" frowning, she was confused about what he was so pissed about.

"When we were hanging there, you let go of my hand Felicity! Why in the world, _how _in the world could you be so stupid!" he was clearly outraged and was doing nothing to stop it.

"_Stupid? _How was that stupid! I knew that if Digg and Roy hadn't been there only one of us could've survived, if I held on then we'd both go down so I picked the easier option out of the two!"

Her statement did nothing to aid his fury, it only proceeded to stoke at the fire even more.

"EASIER! That is complete and utter bullshit! When you're in situations like those you don't give up! You keep fighting!" word by word, Oliver was removing any distance between the two of them.

If Felicity or Oliver were in their right minds that moment they would've realised that both Digg and Roy had both left to leave the two to act like a married couple.

"Oliver if I hadn't of let go then you would've came down with me! So please enlighten me, how is the stupid, how is keeping you alive stupid?" Felicity yelled, not deterred by the fact of how close Oliver was in her personal space.

"Because my life isn't worth nearly as much as yours!"

"That is a complete and utter LIE! My life isn't as valuable as yours, I'm not the one who protects and saves this city, _you _do. You can always get another I.T nerd in here to do what I do as tech support! You can't replace you or Digg, heck even Roy! You always say how you're so broken when guess what, another lie, you're not broken just lost trying to find your way and dying isn't going to help things one bit! I will _never _apologise for what I did today because I'm _not sorry_ one bit for trying to protect you alright! You once made a promise to always protect me and are there for me well guess what, this is me doing the exact same thing for you! So for once in your life stop being an arrogant, overbearing dick and just stop putting others before you, think about yourself for a while!Remember what I told you about my father, about how he left me. I'm trying to stop anyone else that I care for, who I love from taking that route and disappearing from my life, I'm defending those I care about and yes that includes you! So don't lie to my face with crap like that when we both know the truth and if you don't mind, I'm going home because right now I feel like I'm going to collapse in a puddle on the floor!"

The words flooded out from her like a river and Felicity didn't make a single move to take any of them back.

After she finished, Oliver looked like he'd seen a ghost from the effect her words had on him. Before giving it a second thought to stop herself, Felicity spun on her heel, grabbed her bag and stormed out of the Foundry, leaving Oliver in her wake completely motionless.

She didn't think about the events that had happened while she drove home. How she made it home safely and without breaking any speeding barriers.

* * *

Minutes later after getting home, Felicity was curled up on her couch in front of the TV trying not to dwell on the memory of practically hanging by a thread.

The sound of her window opening gained her attention from the screen to the dark figure striding out of her bedroom towards her.

Not again.

Moving in front of her, Oliver blocked out the entire screen so she was left to solely focus on him and nothing else. It was then she realised he was still dressed in his hood but had ditched the mask.

"You do not get to leave like that, with things left unsaid"

"Honestly I don't really care right now Oliver because I'm too busy unwiring from the events from earlier, so can we just talk about this tomorrow?"

"No…look Felicity, what you said to me earlier you have to know that I wasn't lying to you-" when she went to turn her head away from him, closing her eyes in the process, his hands flashed out and cradled her face "-I would never lie to you"

"So you haven't run out of sports bottles yet?" raising her eyebrow pointedly, Felicity looked at him in exasperation.

"You know what I mean…yes I promised to protect you with my life and I will keep that promise in any way I can but today when we were just hanging there and you gave up, I couldn't take it. I couldn't take the fact that you would _willingly_ give up _everything_ you have, everything you are for _me_. So I'm sorry I snapped at you today but when somebody you love does something like that, you say something about it and as for the remark about the I.T nerd nonsense, you are the heart of this team. Without you nobody would know what to do, everyone would slowly fall apart and there is nothing on this Earth that you can convince me otherwise. There is nobody that could ever replace you Felicity. _Ever_"

Going to respond, Felicity was cut off by Oliver's mouth covering her own in a passionate and meaningful kiss full of promises and hopes.

The way they had both felt at the thought of almost losing one another was clearly evident in the way they fused together and were carried away by the love they had for each other.

Never in his life had Oliver been so afraid. He rarely ever got scared. He had rules for this sort of thing but those rules flew out the window as Felicity brought her arms to wrap around his neck as his own banded tightly about her waist.

Breaking apart to breath, not once did either one of them make a move to release their grip on the other.

"Promise me something" locking contact with her sky blue eyes, Oliver soon realised that he had lost his way ages ago in those two blue orbs and now there was no going back.

"Never say never again"

"I promise"

Just like that they became so caught up in each other, not once did they ever separate for the entire night.


	21. Where there's Light, Darkness Follows

**I know that I haven't updated for a while so here's something to quench your thirst for more Olicity XD**

**With this fanfic, the idea appeared and would _not _leave me alone so I decided to see how it went so I hope you guys like this one because I enjoyed writing it and I love the storyline of it.**

**But anyways as always please leave a review and tell me your thoughts. **

**Thank you x**

**P.S. I think I may have had a few stray tears leak out :P**

She was never sure when it all became so normal to her but in the space of the few years she'd been working alongside Oliver the sounds of metal clanging together and grunts and groans and even wood colliding with both wood and fists and even skin. It was a soundtrack that quickly became her life.

The sounds were oddly comforting after a hard day's work and served as a melody, a lullaby. So when the symphony of her fingers on the keyboard, Oliver doing sets on the Salmon Ladder, Digg humming along to an old tune while cleaning his guns and Sara sparring with Roy ricocheted around in the Foundry, it didn't feel strange at all, it felt like home.

The new sound of her phone ringing caused Felicity to reach out blindly to the side of her work station.

"Hello?"

"Lizzie?" the masculine voice got her full attention as she transferred her phone from its position of being wedged between her ear and shoulder to her hands, putting her task on hold for the time being.

Oblivious to the fact that the majority of the team's attention was partially revolved on her, Felicity resumed her phone call without fault.

"Hayden?" she said with a smile plastered on her face and it was evident in her voice too.

"Yeah it's me"

"What's up?"

"…um, well I'd hate to be the one to tell you this Lizzie" the pause in his sentence wasn't lost on her.

Tensing up, the team couldn't help but glance over at her when they heard the hesitation in her voice, knowing it was only used in bad times or when the situation grew serious.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh God, they found it Lizzie, they've found the car" and just like that her entire life came down, shattering to bits "-but they haven't found her body" that was the finishing blow.

She couldn't breathe. It felt like she was slowly dying from that restriction that pressed down on her, being replaced from years ago. A weight that was all too familiar.

It hurt.

The sound of her brother's voice on the phone was blurred out, combining with those of her friends'. Everything just froze around her. For years now she had carried a dark secret that she had tried to bury years ago, a secret that nobody knew the full truth of, a secret that would never stop haunting her.

Her vision tunnelled down to Oliver's face as he spun her chair round to face him, dropping her phone to her lap in the process, ultimately ending the call.

"Felicity talk to me, what's wrong?" his voice was unmuted and she couldn't stop the words from tumbling out, before she could do anything to stop them.

"They still haven't found her" her pulse was all over the place as her mind was plagued with memories of her, thoughts, feelings of what happened that night.

The fear swarmed her as it had done once before, constricting her of needed oxygen, at the fact that there was nothing she could've done, but the reminder still remained. It should have been her that had perished, it was all her fault. She should've saved the person she had once called her sister or died trying.

"Haven't found who? What are you talking about Felicity?" she was going to have to tell them what happened, to relive it, she was going to have to die once again.

Warmth evaded her senses. _No _she shouldn't be feeling warmth; she should feel the cold, the emptiness of her existence.

"Felicity, breathe, you're having a panic attack…you have to calm down otherwise you're going to hurt yourself"

She knew that but that's the thing. She _wants _to hurt herself. She doesn't want to be saved because nobody had saved _her_. She wanted to go through the same pain that she did when she left everything and everyone behind, when that fear of death looked her square in the face as it slowly consumed her, leaving her with nothing but darkness.

"I failed to save my best friend" tears ran down her cheeks, marking the skin.

"What are you talking about?" Oliver frowned as he wiped her tears before cradling her face in his hands, forcing her to focus on nothing but him.

"She's dead"

With that everything that Felicity had once known came down on her like a ton of bricks, trapping her and leaving her with no escape this time. This time it will not be ignored, this time she wouldn't get away so easily.

Locking her eyes tight, she made a poor attempt at controlling her breathing but failed when the fear made itself known.

When a pinch sensation vibrated through her arm, her eyes shot open to see a syringe inserted in her left arm. Turning wild eyes to Oliver's, he immediately spoke up about the sudden actions.

"We had no choice, this sedative with help…trust me"

Trying to shift herself away from him, she was immediately met by resistance when his arm was suddenly banding themselves around her waist and shoulders, holding her close to him.

"Felicity…calm down"

How can he ask her to calm down with something like this, he doesn't even know what happened?

The sedative finally started to take effect, draining her of her energy. Instantly Oliver gathered her up into his arms and carried her to the couch on the other side of the Foundry, making sure to place her phone safely on her work station. When it started ringing again, Digg was the one to answer.

Felicity only managed to hear snippets of the conversation from what Digg was saying.

They were introduced and apparently Hayden was explaining how he needed her to come home so they can all pay their respects but also they wanted Felicity to be with them in the time when they found something that still held such significance to Felicity, since she was part of the whole nightmare.

* * *

It took a couple minutes for Felicity to regain her senses again but not once had Oliver left her side, waiting for her to come back.

"Hey"

"Hey, have you been waiting here the entire time?"

"I couldn't leave knowing what happened"

"Thanks"

"Felicity, why did you freak out earlier when you were on the phone?"

Looking at him, could she really tell him? Could she relive the experience over again? Would it remind him too much of what happened with Tommy? He had the right to know, he had revealed his huge secret to her, he had trusted her and now it was her turn.

It was then Felicity actually realised that they weren't alone. Digg, Sara and Roy were sitting in the remaining computer chairs, waiting for an explanation for what happened.

Taking several deep breaths to centre herself, she revealed the secret she had been carrying for a little over seven years now.

"…som-something happened…a couple years ago…it had quite an effect on me" shifting herself up into a sitting position.

Felicity pulled her knees up to her chest, curling up on herself in case something would have an impact on her.

"Felicity, we're here for you if you need us" Sara voiced herself into the conversation, getting a smile in response.

Closing her eyes again, preparing herself for what was to come, and for the first time in seven years, she opened up and relived what happened that night.

"Seven years ago my best friend, Hayley, and I were on our way back from a party and we didn't even see it before it all happened. At the time we were on the bridge going back home and…our car…was hit by a drunk driver, the force alone sent us over the side and into the river below…" the sound of gasps met her ears but she pushed on, she _needed _to get this out before she backed out of it altogether, opening her eyes Felicity focused on the edge of the couch, avoiding any eye contact "…I lost consciousness the second we hit the surface of the water…when I woke up we were sinking down to the riverbed and the water was so murky I couldn't see anything. I started to panic but Hayley stopped me before it got too bad, telling me to calm down, to breathe…that_ I _was getting out of there. We worked as a team to break one of the windows. The water just began to flood us, like it was taunting us. Hayley undid my seatbelt and shoved me out of the window; I couldn't see anything but I didn't stop kicking. After I surfaced I dove back down for Hayley…I…" this was the part when it got corrupt for her.

Seeing how she was struggling with the next part, Oliver grasped her hand in his but she still felt nothing but it didn't stop the way her hand tightened around his, using it as an anchor to reality.

"…when I got there, I didn't need to be a genius to tell that she was close to dying…the second before-before she passed…she looked at me and smiled…smiled because I was the one that was alive and that she was the one in pain" tears began to blur her vision but she couldn't stop there, they needed to know the next part too.

"I didn't know what to do…I just froze…the worst part was when I saw how she was clutching her necklace that I gave her, we made each other necklaces and promised one another that we wouldn't take them off…I couldn't stop staring at her and how I was never going to see her again…I just didn't want to do anything so I swum back inside the car and stayed with her, clutching her hand like a lifeline to her…I didn't want to live anymore I just wanted to die alongside her, so I didn't make any move to try and surface. The rescue team were the ones to pull me out of the car…if they hadn't have pulled me out when they did, I would be dead right now…after that point I don't remember what happened…the next thing I know I'm waking up in the emergency room after six months in extensive care…after that point, life just seemed to cease to exist so I made the decision to bury everything that related to her, we had a funeral for her but it was an empty casket and it hurt so much at knowing that we weren't putting her to rest that she was still out there drifting somewhere in that damn river and all these years later they managed to find the car…but her body wasn't there…after everything that happened, I just couldn't wear the necklace anymore after a couple months…it was like it was saying why I was still alive when she was dead"

"Felicity none of that was your fault but it makes sense as to why you acted like you did earlier" Digg was the first one to speak after her explanation while Oliver only tightened his grasp on her hand, but not to the point of pain.

After she had released the burden that had been placed on her shoulders all those years ago, she felt free to not have to be the only one to know the full truth. Nobody had known about how she stayed down there with Hayley even after she died.

The team decided to call it a night, leaving Felicity alone with Oliver where they'd left them on the couch.

"Do you want to go back there?" Oliver was the one to break the silence with a question she hadn't stopped asking herself.

"…honestly? Yeah, I want to get over this whole thing and finally put her memory to rest…she deserves that after everything that's happened"

"Felicity, I know I have no business in what happened but if you want me to, I don't mind being there with you if you do go back" his statement made her snap her gaze to his.

"You'd really do that for me?"

"Course I would, I can understand how it all affected you like that because of what I went through with Tommy and with you telling me about Hayley, it made me realise just how strong you truly are to go through something like that again, with how you helped me with his death…so thank you for that, it was refreshing to have somebody with me every step of the way…even if I did wuss out and run back to the island"

"Oliver you can't blame that on yourself, that was your way of handling the situation as best you could…you didn't know how else to deal with it, so you went somewhere where you did know how to handle and I understand your actions even if you don't"

"You're remarkable you know that?"

"Thanks for remarking on it and how could I possibly forget?"

* * *

The next day, Felicity was packed up and on the road back to her childhood home with Oliver and Digg along for the ride, leaving Sara and Roy to keep tabs on the city so that Arrow and Black Canary still make appearances over town to make sure nobody links Arrow up to Oliver Queen because he doesn't show himself when Oliver leaves town.

* * *

The second they arrive at her childhood home, she took a while to breathe all of it in before entering the house, Felicity was the victim of a vertical dog pile by her younger sisters, brothers and cousins. It was only when they saw Oliver and Digg that they began to introduce themselves to each other but during the introductions Felicity managed to sneak off upstairs.

When Oliver and Digg joined her, they spotted her on the floor with albums, marked 'Forever Friends' on the front cover, scattered all over the floor around her. Without a second thought, they shifted a few of them before sitting down beside her and letting her show them every memory they housed.

* * *

The week following that day was completely lost to Felicity, mostly due to the fact that the police officer that had taken charge of Hayley's case and taken care of Felicity had popped round to let them all know that the case had never been closed, they hadn't stopped searching to put Hayley at rest. When he saw Felicity, he smiled and stated how it was good to see her. He had become like an old friend to her during the time she had once considered a nightmare.

* * *

"FELICITY! HAYDEN! ANYONE!" a voice shrieked from down the stairs, gaining Felicity's attention from where she was in her room with Oliver and Digg discussing the night time activities to get the majority of the focus off Hayley.

Running down the stairs with both guys in tow, Felicity saw one of her brothers frantically searching for anyone.

"Dean? What is it?" her voice snapped him in her direction.

"It's Sammy, he went to the river to try and see if he could do anything to help but forgot that he couldn't actually swim properly…Hayden's with him, he told me to get help, I didn't know what to do"

Before Felicity even knew, her legs were carrying her down the rest of the stairs and out the front door, towards the place she never thought she would go to again. If she had taken the time to glance behind her, she would've seen how all Digg, Oliver and Dean were right behind her the entire time.

Never in her life had she ran as fast she had when she heard that Sammy had purposely put himself in such a position to help _her_.

Getting to her destination, in one fluid movement Felicity removed her jacket and shoes before diving into the river. Closing down all the thoughts that told her that this wasn't a good idea, she focused on getting her brother to safety.

Plunging into the murky depths of the river, Felicity managed to make out the silhouette of Sammy's figure bobbing about in the water a distance from her position.

Not caring about how the memories of that night came flooding back or how every impulse told her to run as far as possible from that place where her best friend perished but none of which were stronger than that instinct to save her brother.

Kicking her way to him, Felicity wrapped her arms around his small figure and began pulling him up to the surface but was halted when a glimpse of an object caught the corner of her eye.

Changing tactics, Felicity sunk to Sammy's feet and propelled him up the rest of the way.

Seeing how he was now safe, she turned to see what the object was that caught a fraction of her attention but when she saw how it was enveloped in the contents of the riverbed, Felicity felt the fear return in the blink of an eye.

This was not happening.

* * *

Oliver and Digg were waiting patiently on the bank of the river with Hayden and Dean, eyes scanning the surface of the water for any signs of either party.

Seeing a shadow beneath the water made their breath catch in their throats. The second Sammy came bursting through the top was like a refreshing breeze washing over them until they saw how Felicity wasn't making an appearance behind him.

Hayden ran into the water to fetch Sammy and carry him to the bank but not before Sammy gasped out how Felicity was still under. This alone was enough for Oliver to remove his jacket and shoes before running into the river and diving below after the woman he wasn't about to allow to go through the experience again.

She was right, the murky water made it hard for him to see anything below the surface but his keen eyes were able to see Felicity from the amount of time they spent together, to recognised her blonde hair floating around her like a halo.

Swimming over to her position, he saw how she was frozen and when he saw where she was looking he knew why.

* * *

She couldn't believe it. It wasn't possible. Why?

Submerged in the riverbed lay the skeleton of her best friend, the necklace still fastened to her neck floating above her skull.

Her mind registered the fact that Oliver was there and was now pulling her up and away from the sight. Gasping down oxygen, Felicity blinked frantically to try to hide the tears.

"Felicity?" it was then Felicity noticed how his arms were holding her to him, his powerful legs taking a hand at keeping them both above the water.

"I can't leave her Oliver, not like this" he understood the second the words had left her mouth.

With the both of them diving back down to her, they worked as a team to release her from the hold the riverbed had on her. Felicity had a firm grip of her friends- her sister's –skeleton as she took it up to the surface,

When they broke through again, this time they saw how there were cars parked atop the bridge and how there were different men in uniforms gathered at the bank beside Digg, who was seemingly filling them in on what had happened.

Oliver and Felicity carried her skeleton carefully towards the bank and into a black body bag, which then carried her off as a towel was wrapped around her shoulders but she couldn't seem to take her eyes off the car that now carried her best friend towards the cemetery.

"Felicity?" Oliver's voice was joined by his actions as he brought her back into his chest while he banded his arms around her waist.

Allowing herself to lean into his embrace, she couldn't help but smile at the thought of how Hayley's memory is finally going to be freed, how she is finally going to be able to rest in peace.

* * *

After a couple days they all decided to give her a proper funeral, to dig up her empty casket and place her remains in there.

Her funeral followed a few days afterwards and honestly Felicity was truly dreading it but at the same time she couldn't be more happy that all the memories of her best friend, her sister could be put at rest and that alone was enough for her.

* * *

When the men gently laid her coffin into the ground, housing one of the most important people in her life, Felicity couldn't help the tears that strayed down her cheeks.

Gladly giving a speech on the memories they shared and how Hayley would've wanted everyone to be happy for her and not be moping around which gained a round of a laughs from the parties present at the funeral, Felicity was the first person to throw a rose into her grave followed shortly by Oliver, Digg and the rest of her family.

As everyone departed from the cemetery, Felicity stayed behind to share a few personal words with Hayley.

"Thank you for everything you've done for me Hayley, for that I will never forget you…I'm just sorry that you had to die so young and with your whole life ahead of you. I can't stop believing in how it should've been me that died that night but just…thank you, thank you for saving me. I can't thank you enough for being there for me when I needed you. Rest in peace Elle" tears stained her cheeks once again but she didn't care.

Turning to her boys waiting for her by the car, Felicity thanked her lucky stars that she had such caring friends.

As she took one more glance back to the grave, a gentle gust of wind met her and she swore she heard the words 'thank you'. It didn't take her another second to figure the depths of the words.

Smiling, Felicity entered the car taking up the empty seat alongside Oliver. The car set off towards the house at Digg's command.

As they passed a place Felicity and Hayley used to dedicate their childhood to, the park seemed to come alive as the swing softly swayed back and forth and it was then Felicity saw how the memory she had of Hayley would never die as long as she was alive.

Maybe there was light where darkness was found to be.


	22. Buried

**Before anyone asks why the hell I decided to write this, I wanted to experiment and I kind of dared myself to try this idea out so yeah that's the reason behind the whole story. Hope you lot still enjoy it though.  
**

**Any prompts you want me to try (_please anything but gender benders) _and write I will be glad to accept the challenge and see where my wild and extremely vivid imagination takes me. Sometimes its interesting the ideas that come to me in life. Don't ask where this one came from because I don't know if I can actually remember to be honest. **

**But anyways as always please leave a review and tell me your thoughts. **

**Thank you x**

The sound of her heavy breathing ricocheted around the small gloomy space as she tried to regain her senses. Everything was pitch black and it smelled like death, _not like she actually knew what that smelled like, or wanted to know what that smelled like_.

It all felt like a nightmare caused, most likely, by her earlier life in LA. Speaking of which, was this actually real or was it just a strange type of dream conjured up from the depths of her brain?  
She couldn't see anything but darkness, which brought on the questions. _Where the hell was she and what the hell happened to her?_

Closing her eyes, Felicity attempted to remember what in fact had happened to result in her being placed in this situation. Nothing. She remembered absolutely nothing. _Oh gee, that's so helpful._

Upon feeling a small pressure against her thigh, she soon realised she must've had her phone in her pocket the entire time. _Thank God! _Reaching down to retrieve her phone, Felicity pulled it out and went straight to her contacts. The question of whether this was at all a good idea was unknown to her but if it meant that she could get out of here then so be it.

"Felicity? What's up?" Oliver's chipper voice answered on the first call.

"…err, hey Oliver…by any chance are you still in the Foundry?"

"Yeah, why?" the apprehension evident in his voice, she had to try to be cool about this.

"Um well, you're probably going to think I'm crazy but I woke up and it seems I'm kind of…well, stuck somewhere dark"

"What? Where are you?"

"That's the thing, I don't know"

"Do you remember anything about how you got there?" she could hear him moving, probably going over to the computers to track her phone to find her.

"No, not really…I tried remembered and I can't…I can't-" before she could stop it, a muffled scream escaped her throat.

"Felicity! What is it?" he was growing anxious, she didn't need to be a genius to figure that out at least.

Fear overwhelmed her, possessing her off every calm and rational thought she had in her mind, and moulded itself into a beacon.

Whilst speaking with Oliver, the glow from her phone had dully lit up the area now housing her and her eyes locked eyes with a man. A _dead _man.

"Felicity? Talk to me" from the sounds coming through her phone, which she could barely manage to hear over the frantic thudding of her heart in her throat, Oliver had caught the attention of the rest of the team and they were awaiting her response.

"…there's someone else in here…" Felicity whispered, dread encasing her relentlessly. In that one moment she didn't really care if she they could all her hear her distress, this was terrifying.

"What are you talking about, aren't you alone…..Felicity?" Oliver asked again, they could probably hear how thick her voice had become.

"…oh my god…." muttering into the atmosphere, unaware that she still held her phone in her hand.

She could feel tears brimming in the corners of her eyes. Scrambling to firmly grasp hold of her phone, unable to do the simple act of stilling her hands which shook like leaves in the wind, Felicity used the dull light to search for not only to find out where she actually was but also a way out. It finally dawned on her where she actually was when her gaze fell upon the surface that was running around the perimeter of the space.

She was in a coffin underground, _buried alive_. This definitely was a nightmare at its worst.

"Felicity?"  
"…coffin…I'm in a coffin…and I'm not alone" Felicity spluttered out as if drowning at the knowledge alone.

"Jesus…alright, Felicity you're going to have to keep calm okay Felicity…stay calm, we're coming to get you"

"…Oliver…it's not a skeleton"

"Felicity, focus on something else…focus on my voice and divert your eyes to something else…we're on our way"

No matter what Oliver said, she still couldn't help the way she now felt her body right up against the dead man's body. The worst part? Her brain had connected the dots she had revealed since she woke, she had slept against a dead body.

Series of shivers travelled down her spine at the thoughts her mind was plagued with.

Rearing back as far as possible, a sudden cold spike of air caused her to jolt and it had a chain effect because her abrupt movements had an effect on the body. His arms came up to her waist and now his weight was pressing her body down against his, limiting her movements further and restricting her from the ability to breathe or to even at least keep the rational thoughts. A whimper broke its way through her teeth, she was sure she was doing damage to herself but at this point, she didn't care.

"Felicity, you're okay, you're alright...we're going to get you out of there as soon as we can"

"…Oliver…I can't move"

"I know, stop thinking and just relax, focus your mind on something else instead, something strong…like your computers"

"No, Oliver I mean I really can't move….his arms….they're on my back…I can't move" stuttering out in one breath. She felt like she wanted to scream and run as far as she could from that place.

"We're almost there, we're almost there…you just have to hold on a little longer" she knew that but she couldn't.

Fear was everywhere she looked. _He _was everywhere she looked. She couldn't do this anymore.

Before Felicity could even register what she was doing, her limbs began to fight against the man's hold, rearing back once again but meeting resistance only making her fight even more.

Bit by bit it felt like the walls were closing in on her, constricting all the air clean out of her lungs leaving her with the inability to breathe properly, instead her breath came out in short bursts.

* * *

She wasn't even sure if it was truly real or not or if it was just her imagination, her brain playing tricks on her but nonetheless a voice called out to her and if the voice hadn't gone through her phone too then she would've been convinced that it wasn't real, that she was just making it up but it was Oliver.

"Felicity!"

Not caring if she awoke the whole damn cemetery, Felicity replied to his pleading calls to her. It didn't take him long to find the source of her voice, digging up the grave like a pack of dogs eager to recover the hidden treasure buried beneath the soil.

Light abruptly filled the small space as she felt hands over her, yanking her out of the coffin and off the man whose peace had been corrupted at this little escapade.

The second fresh air swarmed her hungrily; Felicity couldn't help the way her body scurried backwards away from the grave. Kicking herself further and further away from the now heaped soil in two mounds either side of the hole. _Huh, more like hell hole_.

Arms were around her in the next moment, pulling her into a safe embrace and effectively blocking her view off from the grave altogether.

Gasping down air greedily, it was only when a voice spoke that she was broken out of her fear-stricken state of mind.

"Felicity! Breathe, you're alright…you're okay now, just breathe" through his words came a sense of relief and a sense of safety.

Not once when she was trapped down there had she even realised that it had turned night, the midnight sky looming over them and covering them all like a shadow, or that she had been missing from her bed for hours on end with the members of her team in the impression she was safely tucked in.

The next events taking place she was aware of but they didn't register to her mind in full force like they typically did. Oliver removed his jacket and placed it around her shoulders, surrounding her in his scent which to her instantly implied safety, whilst gathering her up into his arms and waltzing off towards the van, the rest of the team staying behind to fill in the grave they had interrupted.

She must've been more tired than she thought because when Oliver sat in the back of the van with Felicity secured firmly to his chest, her head was pillowed in the crook of his neck with her eyes locked shut, fast asleep.

Between both his jacket and the heat seeping out of his body, it honestly felt like she was sleeping in front of a fire.

* * *

That night Oliver hadn't allowed Felicity out of his sight unless it was completely necessary and because of his presence during the night Felicity slept soundly. In her dreams was a man strangely alike the one she had been an acquaintance to for the previous couple hours however, he didn't scare her or assert fear into her dream instead they spoke to one another, exchanging simple words. It had a sense of peace and contentment along with it.

* * *

Oliver and the team worked to find out who in fact had played with Felicity's mind in such a way while staying quiet for a certain sleeping I.T girl on Oliver's cot in the corner of the Foundry, all the while a certain vigilante watched over her from the corner of his eye but she didn't make so much as a peak the entire time bringing along a sense of relief that she hadn't taken it in such a bad way to plague her with nightmares whenever she closed her eyes.

"I've found him…he calls himself the 'Grave Digger', he buries his victims in graves with corpses but all are random, they don't have a pattern. Felicity was just in the wrong place at the wrong time but what happened we won't know unless Felicity remembers…oh and what do we have here? Looks like somebody is going out in search of another victim"

"I got this" Sara stated while making her way over to the stairs, Roy trailing behind.

"Let's go get this little bugger"

"Oliver?" Digg brought Oliver's centre of attention from the sleeping woman in his bed to his team-mate.

"Hmm…what?"

"Don't worry about catching the bastard Sara and Roy are on it"

"I wasn't worried"

"Make sure you look after her, I'm going to head out to Lyla…I'm sure the two will be back soon"

"Night John"

"Night….night Felicity" he said as he walked over to her sleeping form and laid a kiss on her forehead before heading out.

* * *

After both Sara and Roy headed out after John, Oliver took up the space beneath Felicity's head and let sleep claim him. Resting his hand on her shoulders, he cushioned his head on the back of the couch and closed his eyes.


	23. When Strength Becomes Survival

**So I know this is like the third update while other fanfics haven't been but I promise I'm working on them but for the time being you're just going to have to put up with my promise that they'll be up soon, I've just been busy with so many things so yeah. Fun huh?**

**Anyays I was reading this fanfic about Olicity being out in the cold and no I can't remember what it was called or what it was about, all I remember is that so I decided to put my own twist on it and write one of my own, including the team in a mission out in the cold where the situation gets a little interesting. **

**If any of you have prompts, I'm more than glad to accept them and turn them into a masterpiece of their own. **

**But anyways as always please leave a review and tell me your thoughts. **

**Thank you x**

When Strength Becomes Survival

Twigs and broken branches snapping beneath her feet were completely lost on her, only the sound of her footsteps propelling her through the dense forest, towards what though. She wouldn't know. The only thing she was aware of in that moment was that she needed to keep pushing forward to avoid capture from the men in hot pursuit behind her and that she needed somewhere in which she could somehow contact her team through the partially broken walkie-talkie collected from one of the soldiers knocked out cold in the process.

Cold.

That was the only thing that seemed to be around for miles, the temperature plummeting to god knows what. There might as well be snow everywhere it felt like the right climate for snow.

Hoping, _no praying_, that the rest of her team got out, Felicity never stopped running, dodging incoming trees.

_Earlier they had broken into the lair of a deadly assassin and the only reason why she'd been allowed to come was due to the fact that nobody had her expertise when it came to technology. _

_They had been nearly caught there and then if it wasn't for her quick thinking and skills to hack into the tech of the men surrounding them and blowing a fuse, electrocuting them all to the ground instantly and giving them an out. _

_Once nearing the main office, Sara had come in with Felicity to watch her back while she did what she did best but things got out of hand as Sara was pulled out into a fight leaving Felicity to defend herself. _

_Grabbing the USB, which she put into a quite-hard-to-destroy case and popping that into her bra (not a lot of guys dared to look there) before making her way out of the office only to jump out of the frying pan and straight into the fire, or in this case into a small group of soldiers. _

_Forcing self-defence and attacking lessons into her mind, Felicity fought hard and fast through the small group but was soon required to divert her path into the nearby forest to escape her pursuers. She hadn't been able to check on the rest of her team but knew each and every single one of them was able to hold their own in a fight. _

_Oliver, Sara, Digg and Roy were all left to their own devices._

Luckily for this little escapade, Felicity had decided to wear everything that was designed for not only being in the outdoors but also in cold climates but despite the fact that most of the clothing were thermal, it still couldn't manage to keep all the coldness of the outside out so this meant that her body warmth was leaking out, being lost into the cold atmosphere.

No matter how much she wanted to stop and take a breather but she knew if she stopped now, she'd be dead. Taking a risk at a glance over her shoulder, Felicity saw the men a couple yards behind her but with her still in their sights.

Dammit, she needed a way to get off their radar and find shelter to wait to decide what to do next.

The trees up ahead began to thin out but she wasn't sure if that was good or bad. Racing out of the cover of the trees, Felicity barely managed to stop in time to avoid falling off the cliff dead ahead of her. Now what? There was nowhere left to go now.

Hearing their rapidly incoming footsteps, Felicity took a gamble and leapt off the edge, plunging into the icy river below her.

Gunshots were sounded through the air around her, the bullets spreading themselves out directions to the side of her position dicing through the air like a knife through butter.

The moment she broke through the surface, spikes of frozen water hit her full force, forcing her body to fight against the temperature of the water. She couldn't spend too long in the water otherwise she'd freeze.

Fortunately for Felicity her current position enabled her to use the cover of the cliffs to remain off radar and seeing how they didn't take the plunge or fire shots off, they must've believed her to have gone a different way.

Felicity drew her body in on itself in a tight embrace, trying to take up as less surface as possible. It was as if she had done it a thousand times, going through the procedure like a pro.

Forcing her mind onto the next task of getting herself out of the water, Felicity stayed close to the sides until she reached a bank where she clambered her way out of the cold depths of the river.

Scanning around, her eyes searched for anywhere that she could take shelter in and provide herself with some sort of relief, to keep her body warmth up. She didn't need to be a genius to know that after diving into the river, she had gained symptoms of hypothermia. This wasn't good at all.

Finding a cave opposite the bank of the river, Felicity heaved her body towards it and set the new task of building a small fire to provide warmth.

Searching it thoroughly she was content with spending the night here _for now_, and began to slowly build the fire but made sure to build it far into the cave, just in case anyone came back.

After it all, the weariness was taking effect on her but she wasn't done yet.

Pulling the partially broken walkie-talkie out of her pocket, she thanked her lucky stars for deciding to wrap it in some sort of clingfilm in case this was to happen.

Taking a peek at the wiring, it seemed sustainable to contact her team. Sadly she wasn't able to actually contact them but nonetheless, she heard them and knew they were safe so that was enough for her. Now to focus on herself.

Felicity wasn't even aware she'd closed her eyes until the sound of footsteps nearing her jolted her awake. Pushing up from her original position of laying on her side, she readied herself for almost anything but knew she couldn't promise anything in terms of fight, for the hypothermia had taken hold of her. The footsteps grew nearer and nearer until no more distance remained between them.

Clutching one of the wooden planks, fire blazing the tip, Felicity prepared for whether or not she was going to have to use the fire in terms of defence.

Shuffling backwards until her back hit the cave wall, using the corner to her advantage, she set her mind.

The way shivers still wracked through her body definitely wasn't helping at all but she couldn't afford to lose her focus right now.

The sound of a foot being placed to her right sent her arm swinging in its direction but unfortunately it met resistance. Now she was screwed.

"…Felicity?" when the familiar voice spoke, all the tension and fear melted away. "Felicity!"

Oliver.

Smiling in relief, Felicity checked him over as he did the same with her when he saw the weariness present in her features and from the way she was slumped against the wall, shivers silently wracking her skeleton. That wasn't a good sign.

"Felicity, what happened? Are you alright?" she knew she couldn't lie to him and really there wasn't any point in it either, he'd just find out. It was kind of evident from the way she was acting that she was cold.

"Unless being forced to jump off a cliff into an icy river is a good thing, not really" trying for the old sarcasm route to convince him she was okay, Felicity tried her hand at convincing him but failed instantly when quite a violent shiver left her in pieces in its wake, causing her teeth to chatter like a skeleton.

"You what?!"

"I didn't really have a choice, I was being chased so it was either jump and take a gamble or stay there and let them catch me and most likely kill me on the spot…please tell me that everyone else is alright and safe"

"Yeah they're okay, it was you that took the majority of the attention away from the rest of us…you basically saved our lives, let's just say we got ourselves in a right pickle. You're the one that the rest of us were worried about, we all split up in different directions to try and find you, and looks like you did well to defend yourself. Now let's focus on getting you warm"

Oliver didn't miss a beat in adding more wood to the fire to keep it going, warming up the large space right away.

"Don't worry, I checked the place out before lighting the fire, we're the only ones here"

"Good call on the fire by the way. Look we have to get you warm, so since you were in the river we need to get you out of these clothes"

"No I'm fine, really" her words became slurred together as she looked through half opened eyes, which soon became nothing more than slits, on the verge from closing.

"No you're not" was his only response before beginning to strip her of her outer layers, piling the wet clothing in a pile on the floor besides the fire to warm them for her later on.

The morning of the mission Felicity had pulled on layer upon layer to make sure to keep her body heat in her body, finishing with a total of five layers; underwear, tank top and leggings (even if they did next to nothing they still added another layer so they would help), shirt and trousers, jacket and coat.

Now after stripping her of all the wet layers left Felicity in nothing but her tank top and leggings but she was still cold.

"Felicity, come here" Oliver opened the zipper to his jacket and pulled her onto his lap, drawing her close to his chest to share his body heat, zipping up his jacket around them both.

Her breathing wasn't laboured anymore but whenever she exhaled, it came out stuttered. Oliver knew it wasn't good but it was definitely better than her not shaking at all, that would mean she was suffering deeper symptoms of hypothermia and that would scare him severely.

"Try getting some sleep, I'll keep watch, I'll keep you safe" he whispered into ear while Felicity burrowed deeper into him (_God that sounded so wrong) _and let herself drift off knowing that Oliver's there to keep her safe for the meantime.

"We need to…check on the others" Felicity murmured mostly into his chest but his ninja senses picked it up.

"We'll worry about them later, you're the one that needs the rest…they're fine, they'll live but for now just go to sleep"

How Oliver always made sure she was the one that was safe primarily always got a smile on her face and it didn't fail now either.

"I like having you here"

"I like having you close to me" the way he tightened his grip slightly wasn't lost on her.

Eyes fluttering closed; the cover of nightfall met her like an old friend, meeting her with a welcoming embrace and the promise of safety for the darkness ahead.

* * *

Oliver let the glow of the fire light up the cave, fighting off the darkness that loomed overhead, plaguing them all with shadows, hiding dangers that lurked around every turn.

The gentle yet strong rhythm of Felicity's heart created a soothing soundtrack that instantly calmed him to a point no one else has ever reached before.

How she did it?

The reason was unknown to him; she just had this comforting presence that shone out like a homing beacon. That just made him hold onto her sleeping form that much tighter but not to the point of pain.

When he had heard the men being called away from their posts fighting the team he had been curious to what the reason was and thankful for the distraction because they were being forced back but when he caught onto the fact that it was Felicity, he heart stopped, dropped and shattered to a million pieces on the floor.

The worst part?

The second he had seen Sara he knew she was alone against the men, a threat he struggled to gain control over. That in itself was like a knife to the throat.

Running through the forest following the soldier's tracks, which he could just make out, was one of the most not only intense but painful situations he's ever had to live through. It was certain that he'd rather go through the torture of the island for those dreadful five years than waiting to know of the position of his girl Friday.

The moment he heard those gunshots ring out, the sound ricocheting over the tops of the trees, his heart was in his throat but his movement never ceased to stop pushing forward.

Coming out from the trees to the side of the main cliff, the sight of the group of men perched atop the pile of rocks was a sight he never wanted to see because his mind pieced together a series of thoughts of what (or who) they were looking for but he convinced himself that Felicity had gone a different route and used some sort of distraction to led them there.

Following a different route towards the land below them, praying that he would be able to find her or the others team members to find her.

_Please let them find her._

'Great minds think alike' was something that Shado had once said to him when they had been separated during a storm and had found their way to each other again in a cave.

Please let her be right once more just like before.

Part of him hoped that Shado would help guide him to Felicity like someone had once done with him to her.

Finding a cave nearing the bank of the river far down the side, Oliver entered cautiously.

Forgetting how to breathe momentarily when the gentle crackle of a fire met his ears he desperately prayed to a God he didn't believe to exist that it was who he thought it to be. The sound drawing him closer and closer.

When a branch came swinging at him his keen senses allowed him to catch the flaming wood before it touched its target. Luckily he caught the branch below the tip that was currently being engulfed by flames.

Trailing the arm that held the branch back to its owner, his heart did a double take when he saw her staring at him like she didn't really see him, only past him, through him even like he wasn't even there.

Her name was water in a scorching hot desert, worshipped. His voice seemed to snap her out of her reverie that had caught her in its embrace and wasn't releasing her so easily.

Just from looking at her Oliver knew that something was off about her, so when he saw how a series of shakes seemed to course through her body, leaving her in pieces behind, and a puddle making itself known on the floor he pieced it all together and knew she'd been through something wet (_why did that have to sound so goddamn wrong?)_.

Not hesitating in removing her of her soaked-through clothing, luckily her tank top and leggings she had thrown on underneath were left untouched and for the matter of her putting them on in the first place was like a gush of fresh air to know he wouldn't have to deal with her in her underwear.

Don't get him wrong, he would've loved every second of it but that was the problem, it would've thrown off all of his senses and they would be in a lot of trouble otherwise.

* * *

So there they both lay huddled up together inside Oliver's snug hood, which he had customised just for this mission with padding making it much warmer than before, with his bow to the side of them.

His protective instincts kicked in when the sound of new footsteps whistled through the cave. Bringing Felicity that much closer, _if that was even possible_, so she was now fully on top of him as he backed them both behind the boulder that Felicity had chosen to lean against, which was yet another good call on her part.

Reaching for his bow, Oliver drew back an arrow all the time being wary of the sleeping woman seeking warmth within his hood and waited for any signs of danger.

Fortunately her clothing that he had stripped from her, that lay out to the side discarded, now served as a distraction as the source of the newfound noise took the bait.

Getting a good glimpse of the intruders, Oliver released a breath he didn't know to be holding when he saw Sara, Digg and Roy.

"What took you lot so long?" Oliver stated to the group, who swivelled on their heel at the sight behind them, taking a deep breath when they saw not only Oliver safe and sound but Felicity's head peeking out of his jacket.

"What happened with you two?" Sara gestured to the clothing that still remained untouched by the fire, slowly drying out.

"Shh…she's sleeping, and to the question I had to take them off otherwise the hypothermia would've gotten too bad…she did good to keep herself warm before I found her but she was shivering" when they all lay their eyes on the sleeping woman in his arms, they lowered their voices to just below a whisper to make sure not to wake her, no offence to her but she looked like she was in desperate need of it.

"How'd she get hypothermia?" Digg came over to kneel beside Oliver and checked her pulse, it was there beating away like nothing had ever happened. Digg remained beside Oliver, gladly accepting the warmth of the fire.

"From the little she's told me and what I saw, after she got the attention of the guards she was forced into the forest, came across a cliff and took a gamble and jumped off into the icy river below then found this cave and lit a fire to keep her warm but made sure it was far enough to not gain any attention"

"How did you find her then?" Roy asked, coming to sit in front of the fire just to the side of Oliver, Sara doing the same on the other side that Digg wasn't currently taking up residence on.

"Something Shado once told me was great minds think alike and I just hoped she was right in this instance and she was, when I found her she attacked me with a flaming branch and if it wasn't for her shaking then she probably would've hit me"

"And your ninja-like senses…don't forget them" her brittle voice now became the centre of attention of the group.

"I thought I told you to go to sleep?" Oliver looked down on her with a soft edge.

"I could hear you lot talking, I'm a light sleeper as I've found out while working with you lot"

"So apparently you not only saved our lives and jumped off a cliff, all while keeping the USB drive safe, but you attacked Oliver with a flaming branch too, well someone's had a lot of excitement for tonight" Sara mused, the two of them had become like sisters, probably making up for that of the relationship between her and Laurel, who still hated her for dying and coming back.

"That's an understatement" Digg teased, receiving a tongue to be stuck out his direction, making him chuckle.

"Can I have my other clothes back now?" Felicity glanced at her current position inside Oliver's hoodie, it wasn't the fact that she felt uncomfortable with his close presence it was just the fact that right now she definitely had her body warmth restored.

Trying to shift herself up and away from Oliver, towards her pile of clothes she hoped were dry.

"Nope, you stole my body heat now I'm going to steal it back" Oliver just brought her back to his chest once more and held her closer.

"You're the one that suggested this in the first place" she retorted with a roll of her eyes, musing the group.

"Yeah it was either this or have you freeze to death"  
"Oh please, I was fine before"

"That is one of the worst lies I've ever heard" his statement got a snort of laughter from her, which caused him to send a glare her way.

"Really, are you really sure you want to go there with the lies you shot at me?" crossing her arms, Felicity looked up at Oliver. At this point he just avoided eye contact with her, instead looking ahead at the fire.

"Oh she's got you there Ollie" Sara laughed at Oliver's expression of defeat.

"Alright, I think we better get some sleep…I'll take first watch" he attempted at changing the subject.

"Fun's over…it's alright I'll take up first watch, besides you've been on watch since you've found Liz here" Roy sniggered while he still could at his mentor, who was looking at him like he was planning his next torture, he meant training session.

* * *

When the laughing finally died down, they established the plan for the journey back home before settling down for the night.

It was pretty clear even from the beginning that each and every one of them had strength, sometimes even where others didn't. Through everything that's happened that night, all the team knew that Felicity had the strength to go on even when faced with the fear of the end.

From the events of the mission, it only served as the reminder that in cases such as these, strength really does become survival.


	24. When Panic Sets In

**I know I've already done a pregnancy trope with Olicity but I couldn't help myself, I had to do another one because they are always so much fun to write! **

**Oh yeah and in this fanfic, Tommy's alive! I miss him on the show so I decided to make this fanfic a 'happy world' one. Yeah I just completely made that up on the spot but you can't judge me for it though so _on with the show__!_**

**This one took quite some time because since I'm me, I had to pick odd things out and add new bits in so yeah. Anways I hope you enjoy reading this, I enjoyed writing it. **

**If any of you have prompts, I'm more than glad to accept them and turn them into a masterpiece of their own. **

**But anyways as always please leave a review and tell me your thoughts. **

**Thank you x**

What had she been thinking? Sure they had one special night that ended up with her receiving a special package that would only change her life but in what way? That she didn't know.

When she found out, _thank you morning sickness- you still suck_, she had freaked out big time. Pacing through her apartment with question after question hurtling her way, interrogating her on what her plans were for it all. That's what scared her the most, she didn't have any. That's when she started to face facts. She, Felicity Smoak, was pregnant with Oliver's Queen's child and she was completely alone.

Thinking back maybe she shouldn't have acted the way she had then maybe she wouldn't have been in this mess to begin with, no scratch that if they had actually remembered to wear some sort of protection that night then none of this would've happened. It was her own fault.

Thinking maybe Oliver wanted to be a part of their child's life, she had gone to the Foundry where Oliver, Digg, Sara and Roy were all talking and sparring and gotten everything out of her system when they all saw how scared and hesitant she was. Their faces were now burned into her memory but the one thing she'll never forget was how fast Oliver all but sprinted out of the lair and away from her, from _them_. No matter, she still returned to the lair to help where she could but Oliver never came down those stairs.

A week passed and still no Oliver. Her friends could see what it was doing to her and they tried to comfort her as best they could but nothing changed. She appreciated the effort but it still didn't change the fact that Oliver had run away from her and _their _unborn child.

The following week Felicity had finally had enough, if he didn't want to be part of their, no _her _child's life the so be it, it was his lost. But it didn't cover the fact that it still _hurt_.

So that's how she found her way to the airport and onto the next plane to Los Angeles, her _true _home, the place that hadn't cast her out like the plague. Leaving her _actual _friends with either a letter or an email telling them that she was sorry but this was something she needed to do for not only herself but for her son, she had found out the sex during the weekend, and take up her role as a mother. It was hard yes because she didn't exactly have the best motherly role or childhood for that fact but nonetheless, she was strong, she would find her way just like she always did. Oliver though, she hadn't apologised for her sudden absence but only giving him her letter of resignation, keeping things strictly professional between them for at this current time, it was the only thing she could do to stop herself from being hurt again and hell no was she going to be responsible for putting the innocent life of her son through the entire thing as well.

The sound of her destination being announced broke through her spiral of thoughts and it was then that her phone vibrated, gaining her attention. Glancing down at the familiar number, she hesitated before accepting the call.

"Felicity" Digg's voice was stressed and that alone made her wary.

"Yeah it's me, you called why it wouldn't be me?" she kept her gaze solely out the window and on the world above the clouds.

"What are you doing? Everyone's going crazy trying to find you" it was the huddle of voices in the background that caught her attention.

"Digg I told you guys that I don't want to be found….wait, where are you?"

"At the airport trying to find you, Felicity I know this is difficult for you and with Oliver disappearing, which certainly didn't help either but this isn't the way to go. Please Felicity let us help you, _both _of you. When Oliver found out you'd gone he ran over to the airport after you, broke several red lights doing so" that fighter side of her told her not to give in to the temptation, she'd given him a chance and he blew it, that was _not _her fault.

"Well it's a little late now, Digg I gave him a chance, I stayed at the Foundry for a week for him and he never turned up. I'm used to doing things on my own anyways, I've been on my own for years before you lot, so what makes this any different?" she sighed at the thought of it all. None of this way fair on _her_, she'd been through just as much hell as the next person and more so concluding on the fact that she worked beside a vigilante as well, so why should she give up her chance at a whole new start?

"Felicity nobody's blaming you, we just want to help but leaving Starling and just running in the opposite direction, that's not going to help things out any more than how Oliver disappeared last week"

"Digg, I can't do this…not anymore, none of this is fair on me and now that I'm not alone I have to think about _both _of us, this is the best for everyone. Oliver says that it's dangerous even being related to him so believed at keeping me at arm's distance from him was the solution then so be it, I'm doing this for what's best for my kid Digg please honour that at least" stray tears leaked from her eyes at the weight slowly crushing her from the inside out.

"Believe me I do honour that, I understand where all of this is coming from but think about everyone else here, we all _need _you with us"

"Digg you once told me that family comes first, you still believe that don't you?"

"Course I do"

"Then you'll understand that over the few years you and the team have become my family, so I _am _doing the best for you guys too. I refuse to be the liability of the team; I refuse to be the one that ends up being the death of everyone else so this is me saying goodbye, cutting myself off and giving you lot a breath of fresh air"

"Felicity you are not a liability and you are most certainly not the weak point of the team, you're the strongest one out of all of us…without you none of us will be able to work like we do, you're the one that holds us all together so don't tear us apart. We're a family and family is forever, family stick together through thick and thin"

"I…can't…this is my goodbye, I'll keep in touch" Felicity rushed to the end and to end the call before they all pulled her back in again. She knew she was a coward for doing this but she didn't have a choice. What if all this ended up putting both the life of her son and herself in danger? It would be all her fault and she wouldn't be able to live with herself.

She could hear Digg's protests at cutting him off but she didn't turn back.

* * *

Why didn't he see this coming? Why had Oliver been so stupid? How in the world could he have used Felicity and the feelings she had for him to get what the old Ollie would've only wanted from her? That's the part that sickened him, seeing the look of distraught on Felicity's face when Oliver disappeared. He all but legged-it out of the lair as fast as his legs could carry him and from that it made Digg want to knock him out.

During the week of Oliver's disappearance he witnessed the destruction it had on Felicity, slowly dulling that light inside of her until it was nothing but a blur. That liveliness he always saw in her faded away as quick as Oliver ran out on her and her kid.

However when he, Roy and Sara had all received a goodbye email from Felicity, telling them how she was sorry for walking out on _them _but it was just something that she had to do for herself and her child, to step into her role as a mother and honestly he didn't blame her for doing so because he knew that it was hard for her to do so. She was like a younger sister to him and he would gladly go to the ends of the Earth to defend her from any harm but this he just couldn't protect her from. Your worst enemy is always going to be yourself.

Both Roy and Sara were just as distressed as he was, being the fact that Felicity was always the one that made them laugh and brightened up their days without so much as a batter of an eyelid. He never knew how she actually did it.

The following week Oliver had finally gotten his head out of his ass and returned to the lair but this time, _Felicity wasn't there_.

"Where's Felicity?" how he just expected her to be there when he got back made the urge to punch him that much stronger but he reined it in. Barely.

"Gone" he managed to say but through gritted teeth.

"What do you mean gone?" with each word he took a step closer to his team mates, who were lined up in front of Felicity's desk looking to one of the monitors that held her email.

"What do you think he means?" Roy stepped up to his mentor, arms by his side with hands clenched tightly into fists, "How could you do this to her?"

"Where did she go?" when nobody answered him, he all but growled out "Where?"

"Why do you think we should tell you? So you can just hurt her again?" Roy refused to back down and Digg wasn't the only one that considered Felicity a sister.

"No so I can apologise and right my wrongs" anger began to diminish from his features as the look of defeat replaced it all too easily.

"…we guess the airport, but I swear Ollie if you only want to bring her back just so you can continue to mess around and play with her head, I will send one of your own arrows through you without even so much as a twitch" Sara turned and faced him, giving Oliver a full-on view of just how goddamn serious she was.

With that Oliver raced up and out of the Foundry, faster than the first time, with the rest of the team in hot pursuit.

Not caring about the red lights he currently stormed his way through, Oliver dashed to the airport all the while pushing his bike to its limits, praying that he wasn't too late.

Barging his way through people scattered around the airport, he scanned everywhere searching for the woman he regretted ever running out on. But she was nowhere to be found. He was too late.

* * *

The water made all her existing problems disappear; embracing her in a feeling of something she hadn't felt for a while, contentment.

Ever since she had decided to go to Los Angeles, California in a beach house down by the shore, she knew the second she arrived that this would be good for both of them. She knew LA like the back of her hand, she knew everything to do with the city so raising her child here seemed like the best move to make but the one thing that didn't seem to leave her be was the fact that logically, she had ran away with not only hers but Oliver's kid too. So in a way she had brought along with her a piece of him, whether or not it was a wise decision was beyond her but what she did know was that he wouldn't be visiting any time soon.

When Digg had questioned her on her motives for disappearing on them she had told him the truth but not the whole truth. Honestly she couldn't help the way she had a part of her had seen it as an escape route from the world of being hurt over and over again, a world that only played with her like a doll, without a care in the world but now she had a proper reason behind it too.

The whole thought of her becoming a mother scared her speechless. But to be entirely honest, who in their right mind was ready to become a mother to a young soul who relied so much on them to guide them through the early stages of their life?

Sound of seagulls crying bounced across the tops of the waves gently lapping at the shore near the house, this was almost perfect. The only fact being that she was currently alone to tread through the demanding and stressful stages of raising her child on her alone with that kind of responsibility leaving her scrambling for sanity.

Swimming in the ocean lifted the weight momentarily from her shoulders enabling her to finally breathe after the second she had seen the positive sign on her pregnancy test. She knew it was a little strange and probably disturbing but she had actually kept the test, just to serve as a constant reminder that she wasn't losing it after everything she'd been through.

Even though Felicity knew it was still the early stages of her pregnancy, _she still couldn't believe that was coming out of her mouth, _when she swam for a maximum of 30 minutes she believed that swimming somewhat eased the two of them so maybe she'd found the secret to soothing the pair of them into 'dreamland' _as she used to call it when she was younger_. So far she was about a couple weeks into the pregnancy with the due date nearing somewhere during June of next year.

Coming back up for air Felicity's eyes locked onto the beach, that she was currently nearing, and the four people watching her.

This wasn't going to end well.

Breathing out a long breath, Felicity convinced herself to begin closing the distance between them after staring at their position on the shore for a couple long minutes.

Holding up a towel for her, Oliver stood with a stoic expression on his face.

"What are you doing here and how did you find me?" standing in front of them, distance becoming somewhat of a barrier between her and Oliver, who hadn't uttered a single word.

"I told you we were searching for you, so we used the tracker on your phone which thankfully you hadn't enabled" Digg broke the silence.

"And I thought I told you that I didn't want to be found" she wasn't backing down this easily; she wasn't going to allow herself to be sucked back down the rabbit hole.

"Why did you run?" Oliver finally spoke after what seemed like a decade.

"Are you really asking me that?" not once had she even so much as glanced at Oliver but now she couldn't bring herself to look away. He needed to know what he did to her. "Why do you think?" walking past them to her house, Felicity went upstairs straightway to have a shower.

Upon coming back down, the entire team were sitting in the lounge awaiting her presence. _Awaiting her presence? Seriously who says that? _Keeping a tight hold of that promise she made to herself about not falling back down the rabbit hole, she entered.

* * *

"Well how am I supposed to act when I find out that I'm going to be a father to a kid?"

They had been arguing for the past hour. Digg, Roy and Sara had all decided it would be best if they just left the two future-parents to their own devices and see how that went.  
"How do you think I felt when I learned I was pregnant? I couldn't run away like you, I had to face the facts since it was partly my fault that this all happened"

"What are you saying? That it was all a mistake?" he frowned. Hurt flashed in his eyes but she turned a blind eye to it, the amount of times he'd hurt her. He deserved everything that she was hurtling at him.

"I don't know anything with you Oliver! I don't know whether it was mistake or not, I don't know whether or not you meant anything you said that night or just used that to get what you wanted! One second you're pulling me close and the next you're keeping me at arm's length so why the hell would I ever want to go back to that, please tell me that!" she didn't care about anything else but getting everything off her chest, she'd been bottling this all up ever since Oliver decided to take the one week vacation.

"Do you really think that I'd say all that I did that night to you just to get to you? Do you really think that low of me? So what now, you're just going to keep my kid from me?"

"NO! I never said that so don't you dare twist my words! Until I give birth I decide where both of us go because this is my life and there's nothing you can say to change that. After the kid's born then we can talk about what we're going to do about our situation but do you really want to tie yourself down to this, to our kid? Because if you don't you might as well tell me now so I can at least prepare myself, one of us has to be the sensible adult and take care of them"

"Felicity there is no way I'm going to miss any second of this and if it means that I have to prove it to you by any means necessary, so be it but I am not going to let you go through this alone. Even if I would appreciate it more if you did agree to come back to Starling with me, I'm more than happy to stay by your side and help out in any way I can"

During the argument Felicity had distanced herself from Oliver not only physically but mentally also, but that changed when Oliver closed that space between them both and tried to take her up in his arms, the feeling he had missed ever since the night they had shared together.

"Good" she rejected his offer of comfort; she didn't want nor need his comfort, his safe embrace and took a few steps away from him which wasn't lost on him.

"Felicity…" he tried to step closer to her but time after time, she refused.

"Don't, just don't…I can't deal with that too" right now her gaze was anywhere but his, avoiding him as much as she could. But he wasn't giving in that easily.

"Felicity please, don't do this"

"You should've thought of that when you ran as fast as you could out of the door"

"It's complicated to explain in words" he sighed, almost in defeat.

"No its not, you just make everything complicated. You always see a fault in something so you give up on it; distance yourself from it as much as possible"

"That's not true"

"Yes it is Oliver. Why you even came to me that night, I will never know but one thing that I refuse to do is let this innocent kid get lost in this mess between us" she was holding back that stream of tears that wanted to make themselves known.

"I don't want that"

"What?"

"I said I don't want that for our kid, I want them to have the best life they possibly can and not be caught up in this shit" taking a seat to the side, Oliver inhaled deeply "Look Felicity, the reason why I ran that night was I never thought of myself as a father. When you told me that you were pregnant, I just panicked and did the only thing that I actually knew how to do and I ran. Look everyone knows that I didn't exactly have the world's best childhood and when it comes to fathers, I don't have the best experience since mine was cheating on my mother and vice versa"

"I understand that, reminding you that I didn't actually know my father, so neither do I but being a mother is something that I'm just going to have to figure out along the way since I didn't have a nice childhood either….look when I was younger my mother used to come in with a completely different man every single night and used to shove me in my room or dump me in the arms of one of my now quite good friends. He was a bodyguard at the casino she worked at and I preferred being with him than my own mother and I barely even saw her as it was. For all I knew, she could have been dead and I wouldn't know it. I spent most of my childhood with him and he basically became like my adoptive father and/or brother. Being a mother? I don't even know where to start but I figuring it out, just like you'll have to when the time comes but something I _do _know is that when you see that little baby in your arms, you'll already know what to do because it'll come naturally just like being a vigilante, saving the city does" during the speech, Felicity went to sit on one of the settees', opposite Oliver.

"So why did _you _run?"

_No more lies Felicity, just tell him, get it over with and it could help with moving on._

"I was scared history was repeating itself again" she muttered bluntly. That was the full truth.

"That's why? Because you were afraid of us becoming like your parents"

"Yeah, pretty much that"

And now it all made sense to him.

Getting to his feet, Oliver went over to where Felicity was sitting and kneeled down in front of her, settling himself between her knees.

"Felicity? Felicity, please look at me" when she refused to meet his gaze, he placed his index finger beneath her chin and raised her head up level with his then cupped her cheeks. "I am so sorry, I'm sorry for running. I should've stayed with you, I shouldn't have run out on you…but I promise you with everything I have, we will not repeat where our parents have failed because _they failed us_. Between the two of us we can raise this kid in a life where they know only love, right where our parents failed" the determination in his eyes sent shivers down her spine as she finally gave in, leaning forward to place her forward on his shoulder. Taking this as an invitation to hold her, Oliver wrapped his strong arms right around her.

Entering familiar ground, they both ended up hugging the other with everything they had. Felicity buried her head in his neck as he burrowed into her hair, filling his senses with her soothing scent of lavender.

She had a feeling now that he had her in his arms, he would never let her go. Figuratively of course, imagine how awkward it would be on her end if she had to walk around with his arms around her. She had to contain the smile from erupting across her face and she knew she failed when stray giggles came through her lips, which she pulled into a tight line.

"What?" he pulled back slightly to look at her but didn't fully release her from his hold, probably scared that the second he let her go she would run for the hills. It was tempting to say the least.

"Nothing, it's nothing" she squeaked out, goosebumps covering her skin.

"Felicity"

"Really it's just, my brain is just being mean"

"Felicity, you've got goosebumps everywhere"

"No I've…just don't worry about it. Let's just leave it at that before I end up on the floor bright red" just then more goosebumps replaced the visible ones.

"What is going on in that mind of yours?"

"Believe me, you don't want to know, you never want to know what my brain cooks up from time to time"

"Yeah you're probably right…but there is something I want to talk to you about though" the momentarily hesitation was evident that he was nervous on what he was about to say next.

"What?" urging him on.

"Would you come back to Starling with us?" Oliver said it all in one breath, rushing it.

"…um…I've got to admit, that's not something I've thought about but why do I feel like that's not the only thing you want to ask me?"

"Damn you for knowing me too well"

"Part of my natural charm, anyways on with it"

"…I know it's a little forward-y of me, which is a word by the way…"

"No judgement, I make up words all the time, it's quite fun actually, yeah so proceed"

"…but how would you feel about…moving, in with me?"

"Oh"

"Oh?"

"Oh I was not expecting that"

"I mean, I think it would be best what with the baby coming and everything"

"Is that the _only _reason why you want me to move in with you…besides where would we even stay, if it's the mansion then it's an instant no"

"Alright so it's not the _only _reason why, but while we're on the subject, no it will not be the mansion, probably the penthouse or something"

"Penthouse? Actually why am I surprised by that?"

"No idea, you should be used to it by now"

"…yes…"

"What?"

"Oh Oliver, I don't know how you survive…yes, I'll come back to Starling with you guys and _maybe _in the penthouse"

"Why maybe?"

"Because I have to consult my fear of heights first"

"Oh"

"Oh _yeah_"

"Alright what if it wasn't the penthouse? What if it was a house on the outskirts of the city? What would you say to that?"

"Would it have a porch swing?"

"Would that change your mind to a yes?" he strode for a definite yes and wouldn't relent until the answer came out of her mouth.

"Maybe it would, maybe it wouldn't"

"Felicity" the warning tone in his voice told her that he wasn't one for maybes; obviously he was _Oliver Queen_ and all.

"_Fine…I…_yeah" Felicity stuttered out words before finally answering properly.

"Yes?"

"Yes"

"Good"

"Good"

"Fine"

"Alright, see ya" she made her way out of the room and towards the stairs before he grasped hold of her arms and turned her round.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"There and back, see how far it is" when he gave her a look that left her with tumbleweeds expected to roll past, she rolled her eyes "Please tell me that you're not going to go super-all-out-protective on me are you? Relax I'm just going to my room to pack my things"

"Depends, are you going to be annoying the entire pregnancy?"

"Depends, are you going to be Oliver the entire pregnancy?"

"Maybe"

"Then maybe I will" with that she fake stormed upstairs, a smile on her face that she couldn't seem to whip off.

Meanwhile Oliver went outside to the beach and informed the remaining members of the team that she agreed to come back and move in with him.

* * *

Over the next few months things began to grow a bit more interesting, mostly due to the fact that there was a solid source of happiness coming from each and every member of the team.

The second they had landed back in Starling, Oliver had promptly moved Felicity into the house he had put into storage in case he had ever needed somewhere to fall back onto, in case of emergencies but this was the best use of it.

A family home.

The word family and Queen never seemed to coexist in the same sentence favourably since they weren't really a happy family but now with Felicity and their baby on the way, he finally had something to be happy for. Something to live for.

Mornings didn't seem to be the best part of the day for Felicity since the majority of them always ended in blowing chunks into the toilet.

Oliver was a trooper through it all, helping where he could; holding her hair back, rubbing circles on her back to try and take her mind off it, carrying her back to bed and being her personal hot water bottle. She was more than thankful for it all and she made sure to tell him that. To be honest when they had first spent the night together, in the same house, the fact that they shared a queens' size bed (Oliver couldn't stop smiling- _damn his cheesiness_) hadn't seemed like an issue and frankly they gladly slept side by side without so much as even twitching. Alright, so _maybe _this wasn't going to be the worst time in the world, it could prove to have upsides to it.

* * *

A few weeks later, they all welcomed Lyla, Thea, Nyssa, Tommy and Laurel into the 'Arrow Family', which instantly made all the women laugh when the men all just groaned. The ten of them actually worked amazingly well together. Even though Oliver put his foot down when Thea and Laurel, even Tommy, said they wanted to come out and help them in the field and even more so when Felicity offered when they needed someone as bait to a psychotic maniac Oliver had basically threatened to tie her to the damn chair.

So whenever Oliver, Digg, Lyla, Roy, Sara and Nyssa went out into the field, Felicity, Thea, Tommy and Laurel helped out where they could on comms and pitched in with patching them up when they came back, even verbally abusing them as well.

Something Felicity had learnt was Oliver was most punished when she didn't say anything but just laid her hand on her now speed-bump stomach. It made her laugh how it affected him so much, so much so that she had to lock herself in the bathroom just to try and control the barrels of laughter rolling from her, leaving her gasping for air on the floor. Once or twice Sara, Laurel, Thea and Lyla all went in with her just to piss of all the guys. It was hilarious.

* * *

Week by week passed and her little speed bump grew, _it was terrifying_. The fact that she was growing closer to not only meeting their kid but having her entire life revolve around that little bundle in her arms.

"Felicity?" a voice asked from behind, she didn't have to turn around to know it was Lyla.

"Yeah" she couldn't stand turning around for she knew stray tears were leaking down her face.

"Are you alright?"

"Yep, fine, I'm alright…what about you? You okay?"

"Oh come on Felicity, you're crying again aren't you?"

"No, I have no idea what you're talking about" keeping her voice from filling with her tears was a battle in itself but that didn't stop Lyla from spinning her chair around to face her.

All the guys had gone out doing something. Tommy, Laurel, Sara and Nyssa were out on a double date with Oliver, Digg, Roy and Thea were out talking to Lance. Why Lyla was still here was a mystery.

"How come you're not with Digg?"

"How come you're not with Oliver?"

"I asked you first"

"I knew you were staying here so I wanted to keep you company, besides Oliver asked me to watch over you and call him if anything bad happens"

"I'm tempted to call him just to make him ticked off at me, it's always funny"

"Don't give me ideas it won't end well, anyways why are you crying?"

"…it's just the whole pregnancy thing is getting to me" glancing down to her now visible- slightly average -bump, she couldn't help but lay a hand over her stomach "It's just that, when I think about it, I'm going to have a small little bundle of adorableness in my arms looking to me for protection and comfort and to be honest, the thought of the child that I've been carrying for two months now in my arms…..Urgh I think my hormones are making me an emotional wreck right now"

_Try laughing it out Smoak, just laugh it out._

"Just a few more months and we all can finally meet him/her…um there's also another thing that I wanted to talk to you about though, I wanted _you _to be the first one to know but...I'm pregnant"

"OMG are you serious!"

"Yeah, I found out this morning when Johnny was out and it's just…I don't know what to do with it all, I need your help"

Lyla was now sitting in a computer chair to the side of her desk leaning her arms on her desk, head perched atop.

"Lyla, breathe, you have to remember to breathe. Look, you and Digg are okay, right?"

"Yes, yes we are and I love every second of it"

"And you love _him_, right?"

"More than anyone"

"Then you have nothing to worry about, I can assure you that he feels the same for you and he would do anything for you and that feeling is probably mutual so just tell him, don't worry"

"Thank you…and um Felicity, can I ask you one more thing?"  
"Sure, anything"

"Will you be the godmother?"

"Only on one condition"

"What's that?"

"You and Digg will be the godparents to mine and Oliver's child"

"Of course"

"Then yes"

They both hugged the other, careful not to injure the babies in the process. _Huh, two pregnant women hugging each other, they were in the same boat. _

"What are you two so jolly about?" Digg's voice came from the stairs as he and Oliver returned.

Sneaking a peek at Felicity, who was nodding her encouragement, Lyla turned to Digg.

"I'm pregnant"

"…you're what?"

"We're going to be parents"

"You're serious?"

"Course I am"

"Jesus…I…come here"

Felicity had to turn her head because her hormones were beginning to become annoying little things.

"Are you alright?"

"Pregnancy hormones are a bitch" was her only response.

"Ah, come here you"

"You? What's next, thing?" Felicity replied in mock insult.

"Funny…come on, let's go home" reaching out, Oliver wrapped his arm around her waist and covered her stomach with one hand.

This was going to be one long pregnancy.

* * *

Things were really moving along with the pregnancy, since now she was rolling into her fourth month and to be honest it wasn't actually that bad. But then again maybe that was because of the fact that now she and Oliver were now boyfriend, girlfriend.

Felicity and Lyla were discussing pregnancies while Oliver, Digg, Sara, Nyssa, Thea, Roy, Tommy and Laurel were off doing their own thing when she felt it.

A sudden pain hit her in the stomach, hand flying to her stomach out of motherly instinct.

"Who-OW!" closing her eyes and piece of her prayed nothing was wrong, and then she pieced it together.

"What is it? Felicity?" Oliver's concerned voice caught her gaze as she took it from Lyla, who had a feeling she knew what it was and was smiling.

"The baby" was the only thing she managed to get out before Oliver was rushing towards her.

"Oliver, relax…..just, give me your hand" obeying her order, he reached out his hand and she guided it towards where she felt the now numbing pain.

"Yeah, wait is that the baby?" just by that had Oliver was mesmerised by the fact that they were growing closer to meeting the soon-to-be-new-addition to their family.

The moment was soon joined in by the remaining members of the team but Oliver never left his position of being directly in front of Felicity, his hand taking up residence against her belly.

_Yep definitely a long pregnancy._

* * *

A couple days following Felicity and Oliver arranged an ultrasound appointment with her doctor but told them that they wanted to keep it discrete.

Oliver never left her side, always to her right enveloping her hand in his. Spreading the cold gel on her stomach, the doctor began to feel around before closing in on one particular spot.

That's when they heard the most beautiful melody, the tender sound of their baby's heartbeat.

She felt her whole world revolve around the sound as it ricocheted around in the room, making her heart soar. But at the sight of the little black and white alien-looking figure on the screen, she had to continuously take deep breaths to make sure she didn't pass out from the vision before her.

The time when they finally met the little Queen couldn't seem to come fast enough.

Glancing to her side at Oliver, he couldn't take his eyes off the screen. Looked like she wasn't the only one to be awestruck.

"I expect you two want a printout of the ultrasound?" her doctor, Dr. Wood, asked.

"Yes, thank you" Felicity managed to stutter out a response while Oliver on the other hand just looked like the whole world had just given him his life on a silver plate.

Before she could even react Oliver was embracing her in a kiss, _strictly PG_.

"Thank you"

"What for?"

"Everything"

Dr. Wood chose then to walk in with the printouts.

"Don't worry everything is normal, you're doing fantastic for your first time pregnancy…I think you two have created a beautiful baby together so congratulations. I will see you in two months' time again?"

"Yeah…thank you doc" Oliver reached out his hand to shake the doctor's, who gladly accepted and returned the gesture.

"My pleasure, I hope things go well with you two"

* * *

They were laid out on the porch swing, with Felicity leant up against the side of the swing with her feet in Oliver's lap who was in a normal sitting position, when he felt the need to ask her. They had spent hours on end just glazing the picture of their baby's ultrasound and still couldn't believe what they were seeing.

He couldn't hold it in anymore, he had to know.

"Felicity?"

"Hmm?" Felicity hummed her response as her eyes still locked on the pages of her book, this slightly agitated him but needlessly he continued.

"What would you say if I asked you how you feel about being boyfriend, girlfriend?"

She froze at that and when he thought he had overstepped, he saw that thinking look that he knew all too well and he wondered if she was considering it.

"It's peaceful being in a relationship with you and all, what with the kind of world we live in. Why?" her attention remained on the book. _Was she doing this to annoy him now?_

"Maybe, it's just the thought of raising a baby together had me thinking…"

"Careful there buddy, you may hurt yourself" she teased.

"…_what _if we became more than best friends?" she knew he wasn't going to let himself be torn away from his thoughts he needed to speak aloud.

"To what, best-best friends?"

"Felicity, you know where I'm going with this"

"No I don't think I do actually, where are you going with this?"  
"Well it's just that we've spent a long time as friends and it might be seen as even beyond the point of friends and more into the point of a relationship and come on we know each other like the back of our hands. So what if we were more than friends?"

"So hence the boyfriend, girlfriend question"

"Yes that and also well looking around at where we are it's just the fact that this is probably one of the best places to be truthful with you"

Yeah he was right. The sunset slowly began to dive behind the canopy of the trees, as they waved in the gentle breeze, colours lighting the sky like a firework display as crickets sung their songs. It was like the world was playing a beautiful melody to their one moment, which he was entirely thankful for.

"Yeah tonight's just picturesque" commenting while resting her head on the back of the swing. Before he had bought the place, he had made sure that the swing was one of those padded-cushiony ones.

"I hoped you would say that" turning to him, Felicity lifted her head from where it was nested against the cushiony padding of the swing and gazed into his eyes as he pulled out a little red velvet box from his pocket. "So without any more stalling, Felicity Megan Smoak, I have spent the good part of three years getting to know you, studying you and I can't say it hasn't had it's tough times but along with those have been so many remarkable times and with you it's like, a gust of fresh air and it's so refreshing. Along the way I discovered parts of myself that I thought I had lost ages ago and never be able to reach again with anybody but that second you walked into my life, things brightened up for me and you chased that darkness away. You saw _me_, something that hardly anyone ever sees. The second you saw my scars that held reminders of not only what happened to _me _but what I had to do in the past, you accepted them as part of me and that is something that not a lot of people have been able to do. You didn't see _Ollie_; you just see _Oliver_ and I can't even begin to tell you how much I never thought anyone could possibly do but that's something that you never cease to do, you never cease to amaze me and I don't want that to ever stop. Felicity, I'm not asking you this just because in a several more months we're going to be able to hold our child for the first time, no I'm asking you this because that second I laid eyes on you with that red pen in your mouth, I knew you'd be special to me and from day one I've been routing for you. I can't promise there won't be tough times ahead but what I can promise is the fact that if I'm with you, I know that I'll have the strength to fight whatever enemy comes our way. Felicity, I want to wake up beside you every day for the rest of my life, I want you to not bring me coffee every single morning and most of all I want to know what it feels like to know that for the first time in my life, I'm whole. So Felicity Megan Smoak, will you be my wife and become my home, will you marry me?"

The ring was such a sight to behold. A silver band with diamonds appealing the sides as an arrow wrapped around an emerald in the centre and on the inside it had been engraved, 'Oliver X Felicity' was written on the inside of the silver band.

It was everything that she had ever wanted in a ring. Simple, meaningful and unique to her. It was perfect.

For the first time in her entire existence, she was speechless. She didn't know words, she didn't know any words. Opening her mouth, no words came out but instead a gentle sob. So she did what she could then.

She nodded.

"…y-yes, yes I'll marry you" choking on a sob, Felicity threw herself at him, wrapping her arms tight around his neck as he held her close to him, arms locked about her waist but being wary of the treasure she carried for the two of them.

When she pulled back she couldn't help but laugh when she saw stray tears trailing down his cheeks. A huge smile was plastered across his face and judging by his reaction, he wouldn't be able to stop any time soon. Whipping and kissing them away, Felicity firmly pressed her lips against his, which he instantly answered back, wrapping his hand around her neck.

Sliding the engagement ring onto Felicity's finger was something that he had only dreamed of and now that it was becoming reality, that he was finally going to be able to marry the love of his life, he didn't stop the tears that came. But something he did do? Once the ring was securely attached to her finger, he gathered her into his arms and just held his _fiancée _through the sunset.

The second the colours blended into each other and let that colour of midnight take them over; Oliver carried Felicity upstairs to their bed and never released her from his arms. There was no way in hell he was going to letting her go now. He was hers, and she was his and that was how it was going to stay.

* * *

Night times were always his favourites because it was then he was able to spend the night with her in his arms and there was nothing anyone could say about it.

They told their friends of the news and let's just say _they should've worn earplugs_, but nonetheless they all got down to business but from time to time both Oliver and Felicity couldn't help but glance over at the engagement ring that lay claim to her as Oliver's. That's right, she was his and nobody was taking her away from him now.

That thought made him smile. Felicity had asked Thea to be her maid of honour while Oliver had asked Tommy to be his best man; both of them had come to Digg to ask if he could walk her down the aisle. _He couldn't stop himself from hugging Felicity, picking her feet right up off the floor_. Laurel, Sara and Lyla were all asked to be bridesmaids and they said that they would help organise everything for her but it was mainly Thea and Laurel that completely took charge. Everyone else stood on the side lines, just laughing as they claimed one of the desks and covered it in wedding things.

"Alright. Felicity, Laurel, Sara, Nyssa, Lyla and me and all going out tomorrow to choose Felicity's wedding dress while everyone else goes tux shopping" Thea ordered the team.

"You know this wedding is probably going to be extremely interesting" Felicity muttered to Oliver, who quietly chuckled his reply in her ear, she had to stop the shivers from overtaking her there and then.

"I definitely know what is going to be the most interesting part for me"

"Behave or there won't be any of _that_"

"You wouldn't dare" he mockingly-glared at her.

"Oh really, go ahead, see where it gets you….yeah exactly"

Someone was bodily heaving her away from Oliver, turning to see Thea looking at her devishly.

"What?"

"You, me, Laurel, Nyssa, Sara and Lyla are going dress shopping tomorrow and I swear if you don't cooperate, I'll pick your dress for you and trust me…you don't want that"

"Alright, I'll do my best"

"Good, now go rest and remember 10am tomorrow, mall, you better be there otherwise I swear I will get Digg to come and get you the hard way"

"Fine, fine I'm going"

Actually she couldn't wait until she got out of there since Thea and Laurel were going absolutely _insane_ with the planning. But this didn't stop Oliver from trailing shortly after her, scooping her up and carrying her to the car.

* * *

They eventually agreed on going through with the wedding, with Felicity swiftly rolling into her fifth month, in LA California on the beach in front of Felicity's beach house she had run to in the first month. They decided it one of the best locations and it was absolutely magnificent.

The guest list wasn't overly packed, including all the main friends and family.

Everything was planned and was ready to go, the only thing left was to go shopping for the wedding dress, bridesmaids dresses and the men's tuxes.

"So do you see anything you like?" the helpful Queen sister had literally drug her into one of the most expensive wedding shops in Starling.

Felicity and Oliver had argued that it would only take a matter of time before the press found out about the two newest additions to the Queen family, so they agreed that the girls were to take weapons just in case. Felicity had reminded him that they had two assassins and an ex-ARGUS agent amongst them; they didn't need to carry weapons. She had compromised on bringing a taser in her purse when he said that he wasn't prepared to let anything happen to neither her nor the baby.

It didn't take her long to find her perfect dress and when she laid her eyes on it, she knew it was the one for her.

The woman that helped them find the dress for Felicity said that it was a unique mermaid sweetheart cut out, cap sleeve, lace dress. What mainly stood out to her was not only the design of the shoulders but the open keyhole back.

Whenever she walked, it swished so elegantly around her. Standing in front of the mirror looking at herself in the wedding dress was like looking into heaven and to think that it was only next month that she was going to be getting married to Oliver, the man of her dreams, it was too much for her to handle.

"It's perfect"

"Felicity, you look….astounding, you're going to have every man on his knees begging for you" Laurel cheered, clasping her hands together in front of her mouth.

"Thank you, all of you"

"Felicity what did I say about crying?" Thea exclaimed when a singular tear escaped through her lashes.

"Pfft, I'm not crying, I…umm…poked myself in the eyes earlier with my mascara"

Lyla was the one to capture a picture of all the girls huddled together in a group hug in the mirrors, which actually turned out more like a selfie.

* * *

The wedding was a sight to behold. The bride and groom couldn't take their eyes off each other for more than five seconds.

For both of them, it was like a dream come true, more than they could've ever wanted in life.

Roy and Tommy stood by Oliver's side.

Meanwhile Laurel, Sara, Nyssa, Lyla and Thea walked down the aisle in dark green; one shoulder, floor length gowns with a bouquet of white and light green lilies.

Digg led Felicity down the aisle whilst Oliver watched on in awe, all the while the attention of the guests was on the bride being led towards the alter where the men stood awaited her presence. He joined the two men to the left of the bride and groom, who were all stood in white.

Felicity's wedding dress harmonised with her in such a way it left him gasping for air. Her hair cascaded down past her shoulders in soft waves. Her baby bump was visible even through the dress but it just made her look that much more exquisite. She was a vision in white.

How the hell was he going to be able to keep his hands off her for the entire wedding _and _reception?

The rays of sunshine beamed down on her, illuminating her in a golden light and catching on her feather style hair comb adorned by crystals, adding to that image of an angel all the more. The comb sent the rays of light off in different directions, glistening like stars in the sky.

This was the woman he was about to marry and spend the rest of his life with? Geez he was one lucky bugger.

How he was able to hear the priest's words was beyond him, he probably owed it to the years of ninja-training (as his nearly-wife oh so gloriously put it).

They both fought the tears as the laid words on how much the other meant to them, promising one another on the promise of forever, a life full of love.

"Do you, Oliver Jonas Queen, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do"

"And do you, Felicity Megan Smoak, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do" the second those two words came out of her mouth, his heart somersaulted in his chest.

Sliding the rings onto their partner's finger, they came together like magnets. Sharing a passionate kiss as the guests sat with tears in their eyes.

In that moment all Felicity and Oliver knew was each other. All other noise was blurred out by the love they had for the other.

Breaking apart from the kiss at the sound of the audience on their feet, cheering.

Walking down the aisle with her arm tucked beneath his, Oliver couldn't seem to whip that ear-splitting smile off his face as they made their way to the bottom, where he couldn't help but scoop his _wife _up in his arms and carry her towards the reception on the grassy land set beside the beach and left of the beach house.

Each member of Team Arrow, including the Arrow and his wife, stood and said a speech. It was definitely interesting when Nyssa spoke words on how she knew Felicity was the one for Oliver the second she first saw them together.

What really made her laugh was how Digg said how long he had waited for them to finally screw their heads on right and get together, and how he had to watch those long years when they made googly eyes at each other when they thought the other wasn't looking. All of which made everyone laugh.

When it was Felicity's turn to give a speech to her new husband, Roy brought up his guitar to sit on one of the stools to the side of her.

"Everything that I want to tell you is in this song so I want to dedicate this song to my husband, I love you"

Roy began to strum at his guitar, leading into the song. Felicity begun to sing the lyrics of 'When I Fall' by Rachel Lampa.

When she finished pouring her heart into the song, Felicity looked to Oliver who was visibility fighting back tears as everyone gave her a standing ovation.

* * *

As Oliver led his new wife to the floor, the song 'Until You' by Shayne Ward played through the speakers.

Swaying to the beat, he swung her out and reeled her back in before spinning her then dipping her planting a kiss on her lips.

* * *

Several months after the wedding, they were downstairs in the kitchen of their house with Felicity relaxing on the settee and Oliver in the kitchen. After Felicity begun nearing the baby's due date, Oliver had been extra protective and careful of where she went and what she did.

Around her sixth month Oliver had basically forbidden her from going to the Foundry and to stay at home, he even left the Arrow duty to Digg since Roy was now Arsenal as he remained by Felicity's side until the birth.

Something she found herself loving to do was just watching her husband making lunch.

Suddenly a pain in her stomach caused her to gasp as she gritted her teeth hard together.

"Felicity? Felicity, are alright?" Oliver made his way out of the kitchen and towards her, now doubling over clutching her stomach. "Felicity, talk to me"

"Oliver…it's time"

"What? Now?" he was panicking now.

"Yes, now"

"We need to get to the hospital"

"We need to call everyone else"

"We'll do that later, for now we need to get you to the hospital"

"ARGH! Crud balls, that one hurt!"

"Come on" helping her up off the settee, Oliver went and grabbed the bag they had packed beforehand with all the stuff that they'll need.

Along the way he called the rest of the team to let them know of the news, telling them to meet them at the hospital.

* * *

When they got to the parking lot of the hospital, the contractions began to close the distance between each one, causing Felicity more pain.

"You're not walking, here put your arm round me" obeying his instructions for the fact that she knew that she wouldn't be able to walk in this much pain, Oliver scooped her up and carried her into the hospital as she grabbed the bag and keys, locking the car. How? Don't ask.

Waiting at the door of the was Thea, Roy, Sara, Nyssa, Laurel, Tommy, Lyla and Diggle.

"My wife's in labour! She started the contractions ten minutes ago" Oliver started shouting for Dr. Wood.

When they didn't receive any help everyone else pitched in.

Dr. Wood came and guided him to a private hospital room in which was shortly filled with nurses already telling her to breathe deeply.

She had gone into a natural labour and that was good news by itself.

"Okay, Felicity I need you to start pushing alright"

Oliver stood by her side, holding her hand while Thea and Digg stood by her other side. Roy, Laurel, Tommy, Nyssa, Sara and Lyla remained outside waiting for any news on her situation.

"Keep pushing Felicity, you're almost there….we'll be able to meet our child soon, just keep pushing"

"Come on Felicity, you can do it" Digg encouraged, holding her other hand.

"We're all here for you" Thea voiced continuously peeking to see how far the baby was. "Come on Felicity, almost there now"

She was extremely grateful for all the encouragement from Oliver, Thea and Digg.

* * *

Pain was everywhere she turned, the voices around her were distorted but they were registering nonetheless. She knew she had to keep pushing no matter what happened, she had to deliver her child.

Using her hold on both Oliver and Digg's hands, Felicity grounded herself and used that as an anchor to gather her remaining strength and put it into going through with this birth.

Nothing in life was easy if it was people wouldn't be able to find that urge to fight, that reason to do what they do. Like Oliver for instance his purpose, his reason was to right his father's wrongs and she promised herself that she would spend the rest of her life trying to help him in ways only found to her. However, she couldn't help but wonder what or _who _would he be if he wasn't the Arrow?

Something she had found out early on in life, something she had had to find out for herself was that the best things in life, are fought for. Things that come easily aren't worth as much time as those of which you put in the time and effort to understand, to relate to. Those are the things that you fight for.

So right now, with everything she had, she would fight until she delivered her baby. She's had her rest and now it could all come to an end.

Ever since she was young Felicity's always believed that there are two parts to someone, the navigator and the guardian or as most people knew them, angel and devil. Well right now that guardian, that fighter side of her was telling her to fight for the life of her kid. The ball was in her court now and it was all up to her.

* * *

Warmth evaded her senses as she wrestled to release her hand and other limbs from the clutches of the blanket cocooned around her.

Hospital.

That was the last thing she remembered.

Her senses registered once again as her eyes lingered on every detail of the room. Her searching eyes upon a figure stretched out on the couch in the corner of the room. There Oliver laid, limbs shooting off in different directions as his chest rhythmically rose and fell continuously, it was as if a beat.

Glancing at the clock, Felicity saw the time it displayed.

Three o'clock.

In the morning, judging by the amount of noise coming from the hallway outside her room.

A gurgling sound is heard from the corner of her room, beside her bed.

Turning her head to the left, a bundle of green met her eyes. Curiosity lured her over the edge as she removed herself from layers of blankets and duvets.

Coldness shot through her feet, the sudden change in temperature making her flinch. Lowering one foot, following it by the other, Felicity padded over the cot and gazed into the treasure it held but what she wasn't expecting was for a pair of deep blue eyes to be looking back at her.

As soon as they locked eyes, he held up two little chubby arms and giggled, gesturing for her to pick him up.

Cradling him little body close to her chest whilst methodically rocking herself back and forth, she heard his laughs die down as his tiny head came to rest in the crook of her neck. She wasn't really sure where the movements came from but it just came naturally to her without thought.

As she stood there with her son safe in her arms, she couldn't help but fall deeply in love with him. She was so caught up with the love for her son, she didn't hear the footsteps behind her but when two strong arms banded themselves round her now flat stomach she knew exactly who it was without needing to turn around.

* * *

Oliver wasn't really sure what in fact woke him up but the second his eyes laid on the figure of his wife with their son bundled in her arms, he couldn't seem to take his eyes off the sight before him.

Walking up to the pair, Oliver wrapped his arms around her waist and closed any distance between them in an instant, holding himself close to her.

"You're supposed to be in bed"

"I think I've had more than enough rest…he's beautiful"

"Thanks to you and that still doesn't mean you're going to be let off that easily"

"And here I thought you were asleep"

"Exactly what you're supposed to be right now, the doctors said you needed your rest, gather your strength back again"

"And let me guess, you're going to make sure I'm going to do exactly that?"

"You are correct"

"Then you have your work cut out for you then"

"Was that a threat _Mrs Queen_?"

"Nope….that _Mr Queen_ was a promise"

* * *

A few days later both Felicity and their son, Connor Robert Queen, were released from the hospital and Oliver quickly ushered them into the car before the paparazzi figured out that they had actually used the back exit instead of the front, Digg guiding away the majority of the attention.

That they were _all _thankful for.

* * *

Ever since Connor had been born Felicity found herself sitting on the porch swing with her son in her lap, cradling him close and singing his lullaby until he fell asleep, this more so whenever he cried. Oliver always came out a few minutes later when he realised she wasn't coming back to bed anytime soon and sat at the opposite end with her feet in his lap or her in his lap, _making it easier when it came to carrying her up to bed_.

"What did I tell you about coming out here alone?"

"Mmm….." she murmured when Oliver found her, _yet again_, sitting with Connor in her lap on the swing, half asleep.

"Come on, bedtime for both of you" coming to the side of her, Oliver scooped up Felicity into his arms being careful of the bundle in her arms, _whose grip never loosened on him_.

Gently laying Connor in his cot, playing the Arrow mobile Thea and Felicity made themselves (which made it that much more special to him), Oliver returned to their bed to tuck both Felicity and himself beneath the covers.

"Oliver?" settling herself down with her head on Oliver's chest, she snuggled deep into his side as he banded his arms round her, drawing her in close to him.

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you came after me" the words were partially slurred together but he still understood what she was saying. The thought put a smile on his face, similar to the one he had given her the first time they met. She was the first person ever since the island that got him to smile.

"I'll always come after you, wherever you go, _I go_"

"Mmm…that's nice" chuckling, he tightened his grip on her slightly before letting go of consciousness again but this time he would sleep peacefully because of a certain wife wrapped up in his arms.

"Goodnight, Felicity

"Night, Oliver"


	25. Safe House

**So I'm kind of experimenting with this one as I'm not as sure to be truthful with you but still I hope you lot enjoy this, it was interesting to write. **

**Next up is both A Change of View and Forbidden Love.**

**As always please leave a review and tell me your thoughts. **

**Thank you x**

Her footsteps were heavy as Felicity pushed on, plodding through the forest towards the house she knew was up ahead. The amount of shortcuts, twists and turns she purposely threw into her path to throw off anyone who might've followed her.

Thank god her sense of direction and memory of the house hadn't been lost to her otherwise, well it's best not to dwell on that.

Reaching for the key, Felicity stumbled through the front door as she felt the blood from her wound pass her fingers, which she used to attempt to staunch the bleeding, staining her skin red. Her eyes scanned the place for any signs of forced entry in case someone had followed her or if one of her friends had made it to the house ahead of her. The shortcuts had slowed her down considerably.

During the mission that went into the very depths of hell they had scattered away from one another in separate directions, meaning she had been forced to defend herself and because of the pain it affected her movements so she executed the movements poorly allowing the man to gain the advantage over her and add to her collection of wounds, landing a unfortunate one for her.

Beforehand she had been caught in the explosion of bullets, landing a bullet to the upper thigh, so the man had been able to land another blow, getting her with his knife and slicing through her skin on her stomach.

Thankfully her adrenaline gave her the pain relief she had been searching for and drove her tiring limbs into different forms of both attack and defence.

By the point of actually face planting onto the rug inside the living room-section of the cabin, Felicity was purely and utterly exhausted and how she hadn't already fallen asleep was a mystery in itself.

Things began passing by as she trudged her way around the house, her steps were clumsy and exaggerated, to get to the make shift med-bay where the entire medical equipment were stored.

Right now she had to ignore how much she truly hated needles and stitch up the splits in her skin before her body gave her over to the depths of unconsciousness.

* * *

How she managed it was a miracle basically.

Using the remains of her energy, Felicity hauled her body up onto the table and began to get to work on the wounds. Having to halt until her stomach stopped rolling, Felicity stitched up her stomach and arm.

Stabilising her shaking hands best she could, she focused on removing the bullet and the pain was bypassed thanks to the antiseptic she had injected into her leg but knowing that the pain was going to come back and bite her hard in the ass later on.

Moving to find a better place to rest, she avoided the windows at all costs in case someone came across the building.

Remembering to the lock the door behind her and take her key out, replacing it back into the only safe place she knew then- her bra -Felicity found the only high up place in the building. The support beams.

She knew she wasn't heavy, she was the lightest one in the team, Felicity clambered up onto one of the tables and used her skills from her gymnast years to heave herself up.

The moment her entire body was safely masked by the beam, Felicity gave up any resistance of sleep and drifted away.

* * *

He had the building in his sight, just beyond the point where the vast sea of trees covered the place. His mind was still wired from the fight and the battle still raging to travel in the direction of the safe house.

Whilst he had been fighting, one of the men had just caught him with his knife but the wound was minor, barely even a scratch.

Out of instinct and habit, Oliver searched the outside of the house for any point of forced entry then confirmed safety before finally entering the house.

Something suddenly reached out to him right then.

There on the floor laid a single droplet of blood to the side, leading up to the med-bay.

Every part of him froze as he tracked the trail of blood to where stray medical equipment lay there used.

He had a bad feeling about this.

It was either someone else had already been here, was _currently still _here or another member of the team had made it to the safe house.

Listening to the silence that had embraced the space inside the cabin, it was too silent. There should be some kind of noise, something, _anything_ but there was nothing but the beat of his heart and his steps beneath his feet, the just squeak of the wooden planks lining up his path.

Abruptly a smell caught his senses.

It was lavender.

There was only one person he knew that wore that scent; it was too familiar to him for him not to know it.

Felicity, it was Felicity's perfume. She had been wearing it that morning before they set off. Sure it wasn't that strong a smell but his nose still picked it up. He could always pick up the smell of Felicity's perfume.

She was here somewhere. Oh god, please say that wasn't her blood.

Oliver couldn't help but desperately plead out her name, praying that she would answer his calls.

* * *

The sound of her name being desperately cried out brought some part of her, bringing her out of the dark. His name rolled off her tongue with ease as his head snapped back and up to her, meeting her half-conscious gaze.

"Felicity"

* * *

Her voice caught his step as it faltered him while his head snapped in the direction her voice had come from.

"Felicity"

There she was hidden in the highest possible place, the support beam above him. The pain was evident in the way she clutched her stomach, the other hand just hanging there limply.

It worried him.

"Felicity, are you okay?" he knew it was a stupid question, obviously she wasn't alright, she was hurt.

"…mmm, no….hurts" Felicity mumbled out.

"What? What's wrong?"

When she didn't answer him, Oliver grew more concerned.

"Felicity….Felicity, jump off, I'll catch you" positioning himself below her just to the side, Oliver held out his arms ready to catch her but she didn't make a single movement.

"…can't, hurts too much"

"Roll off then. Come on Felicity, I need to see where you're hurt"

Several minutes passed before Felicity finally made to roll off the beam. Leaning far to the side, the rest of her body followed the movement, falling into the arms of an awaiting Oliver Queen.

Over the few years that they've worked alongside one another he's found that whenever the chance of him carrying her appeared, he's always found her weight in his arms comforting and now out of all when she had made out serious injuries he's all the more thankful.

When she was safely cradled in his arms, Oliver moved to the comfort of the couch resting in the corner of the room, hidden from any praying windows.

Lifting up the front of her shirt, Oliver's eyes zoned in on the now sewn up knife gash on her stomach, which made him furious at the thought of her being hurt while he had gotten off with a mere scratch but that wasn't all. Cuts ran up the length of her arms, even though they looked minor it was beside the point, while bruises began to make themselves known, staining her skin a bluish colour.

"What happened?"

"Man attacked…hurt bad…bad defence…ran in direction of house…twists, turns, shortcuts…throw off followers…bumped against trees, bruised" luckily Oliver managed to catch the gist of what the words she was mumbling out meant.

"Why did engage any combat? You should've just ran"

"Couldn't…blocked path…had to fight"

"Where else Felicity" when he once again met her gaze he saw a hint of defence guarding her features. There was something she wasn't telling him. "Felicity, tell me, where else?"

"…..leg…bullet…stitched…hurts"

Once the words were out there, Oliver's instantly reached down to where her hand was covering a patch on her upper thigh, pulling down the waistband of her pants so he could see the wound in all its work.

It was clear to him that she had pulled out the actual bullet and put a couple stitches in but it was evident they hadn't been enough for the wound was still oozing blood, turning the stitches the same colour, blending them in with her body.

"I need to properly stitch it up, it's coming undone, you still with me?" how her eyes were struggling to stay open wasn't lost on him and it worried him.

"Hmm, sleepy"

"I know and after I stitch you up, you can sleep but right now you have to stay awake alright?" he could feel her nodding against his shoulder.

Cradling her close so her head came to rest in the crook of his neck, Oliver lifted her up and moved back over to the med-bay. Placing her down over the blanket and resting her head on the pillow that they always had on standby, located on the shelves nearby, he got to work. Once again pulling down the waistband on her pants, he threaded the needle and began the process of connecting the two sides of her skin like she had attempted to do but had been to weary to fully complete the stitching.

Halfway through the corner of his eye was caught on a glint on the shelving unit and there it was.

That bloody bullet.

Literally, Felicity's blood covered the entire thing. It was his stomach churn at that thought.

* * *

It all hurt like a thousand knives in her at once.

"Felicity, Felicity are you still with me?" it was Oliver's voice that caused her to notice that she had her eyes closed and right then she couldn't for the life of her seem to open them.

"Tired"

"That's okay; let's get you somewhere more comfortable so you can sleep"

"Hmm"

Her eyes opened a smidge to inform her of their current position. Oliver laid himself out with her on his lap huddled into the corner of the couch, and within close proximity of his bow and quiver chocker block full of arrows ready to go. His body was curled up round her, shielding her with himself, crafting almost a cradle to guard her. It all made a smile grow on her face before once again drifting out of consciousness.

* * *

Moving himself over to the couch with Felicity safely in his lap, Oliver curled himself round her and set up his line of sight so he could see the reflection of the front door off the window as the main majority of his gaze was focused on the woman safely protected in his arms.

Shifting his gaze once more to the reflection of the front door to wait out the arrival of the remaining members of their team but meanwhile another thought crossed its path.

Who would be the next one to walk through that door?


	26. Impact

**Before I ramble on about any single random thing that pops into my mind (I swear Felicity's babbling is contagious), I would like to give a shoutout to the person who sent in this prompt. TabbyHazelEyes. I hope I've brought your idea to life for you and thank you for sending in this brilliant idea. **

**Alright so I've got to admit I was going to end this one a bit differently but I thought I wouldn't follow that route, it was too unrealistic for Olicity so I rewrote the ending so I hope this one is better than the original.**

**As always please leave a review, tell me your thoughts and send in any other prompts you want me to bring to life for you. :P  
**

**Thank you x**

"Felicity, where are you? Oliver's getting antsy again; you know you're basically the only one who can slap some kind of sense into him" Digg all but pleaded, looks like Oliver wasn't the only one to be antsy.

Ever since that disastrous first date of theirs, her and Oliver had become so distant it impaled her like a spear and whenever they passed each other and just completely ignored the other's presence, the spear shifted itself causing even more pain than before but there was no way in hell she was going to allow any member of the remaining members of the team know that.

It had only been a month since the death of Sara and it wounded everyone, bringing along some part of them with her. For Felicity she had only remained strong until the second she passed the front door, sliding her body down the length and sobbing uncontrollably into her palms, often crying herself to sleep more days than often.

The most painful part was the fact that Oliver believed that he couldn't allow himself to grieve, that he wasn't worthy of that kind of relief but the thing was that his sudden system blackout hurt more than just himself.

To think about what her and Oliver could've had together was too much for her so she darkened the image, finding some way to make it easier on her shoulders.

Making her way to Verdant to relieve Digg, Roy and most likely Laurel of Oliver's constant brooding Felicity kept the _happy ending _thoughts to herself, where they have always been and will always remain. Stopping at the next red light, her fingers tapped away against the steering wheel, eyes locked onto the light opposite the other, awaiting the new colour.

Who knew that in the next moment, things would be changing in her path, twisting and turning her to a complete new fate?

When the amber coloured appeared, the line of cars began forward.

A dazzling white light blinded her side, effectively knocking her senses out of proportion before her mini was hurled into the car that lay ahead, packaging her along with it as the car behind her crushed her between two, sandwiching her in.

Scenes played on around her in slow motion, leaving her behind to catch up but failing in the doing so.

The last memory registered as her own body lurched forward as the airbag provided somewhat of a soft landing as her vision darkened.

* * *

"Where the hell is she? She's never over half an hour late, ever!" Laurel complained, pacing back and forth.

After Sara's death, Laurel and Felicity had developed somewhat of a friendship, starting with how Felicity found Laurel in the bar drowning herself in alcohol until Felicity willingly became her designated drinker. The two had found more common ground than they had thought possible. Within weeks they had developed a routine, every so often a week they would go round to the other's house, spending their time catching up on movies and gossiping about the next 'in' thing. Honestly, it was refreshing to see Laurel finally smile the way she did whenever she was around Felicity. Almost becoming secondary sisters, still honouring Sara's memory by sharing memories of her, bringing themselves closer. Besides, Laurel was always there for Felicity when all the shit happened with Oliver. Most times they discussed the new relationship with Ted and how the training was coming along.

More often than not Laurel, Felicity and Roy all went out for drinks, including the new father some trips when he had free time on his hands.

Laurel's phone began to ring, the brunette pulling it out and answering it immediately. A few minutes later, tears were making themselves known, her gasp sounded throughout the foundry, gaining the attention of the surrounding men instantly.

"Is she alright?" Laurel's words were like knives to their guts. "Omg, of course I'll be there as soon as I can" hanging up, she covered her mouth with her hand before moving to collect her bag and exit the foundry.

"Laurel, what is it?" Oliver's voice reminded them all that he was still there, they had forgotten about his presence ever since he had started on the salmon ladder. Looking at him, her eyes were brimming with tears.

"It's Felicity" that sentence alone got immediate reaction out of everyone. "There's been a crash…she's in the ICU"

From that sentence alone, they were all on their feet and on their way to the hospital, not sparing a moment.

* * *

Bursting through the doors of the hospital, Oliver began yelling for Felicity Smoak, doctors and nurses trying to calm him but he was only searching for one person and so far, he couldn't see her.

"Where is she?"  
"Sir, please you have to calm down"

The following words were completely lost on him as the nurses led him to her room but the sight that met him was one from his darkest nightmare.

Through the windows lay the woman he promised to protect looking so fragile, as if the next gust of wind could blow her away like ashes leftover from a fire.

An oxygen mask lay over her mouth and nose as a load of wires lay attached to her body, providing her with the necessary support needed to continue her life.

She looked so vulnerable laying there alone on that bed, the sight hurt more than any wound he had ever received from his experience both on the island and as the vigilante.

Body braces held together parts of her body and he liked to convince himself that is was unnecessary to have them on her but that wasn't the truth.

He hated the sight. Her bruised and tattered body left in pieces as the rhythm of the heart monitor beeped away, giving him a sense of relief that she was still alive in that broken shell, giving him a full view of the young innocent little girl wrapped up inside, no longer safe and sound, no longer guarded by a stoic expression.

"Omg, Liz…I…I can't…" Laurel turned her face into Digg's shoulder, who along with Roy, couldn't help but hold his posture as strong as he could with the fear of breaking apart there and then.

"The rescue team managed to get her out but you have to understand that it was bad, she was in one of the worst possible positions in the pile up. Several others died and I'm afraid I can't predict what the future may hold for Ms. Smoak. The only thing you can do is to remain strong for her, she'll need it. She's sleeping now but I can tell you that you can see her but just know that her chances are high"

With that the doctor left on his heel, leaving the four of them with their friend.

Entering the room with a sharp deep inhale of breath, Oliver came to sit on one of her sides and reached for her hand. It was warm true but not as warm as they normally were.

"I…um…god I need some air" Roy all but sprinted from the room with Laurel in tow, neither one of them could bear the possible loss of another sister. Another member of their family, gone from beneath them, leaving them to crumble to the floor.

"Digg…..she can't….she can't go, she can't die….I can't….I won't…..I need….I need her" Oliver stuttered out, the inability to form a single sentence.

"I know Oliver. We all do. Team Arrow can't exist without her…..I'm going to catch up with the other two, leave you to talk to her" resting his hand on Oliver's shoulder on the way out, it remained as just Felicity and Oliver, two people who loved the other without a doubt but so many fears rocked their relationship way too many times, leaving them with the aftereffects.

"Felicity, I don't know if you can hear me right now but I-I need you to fight alright. I need you to fight for all of us; you can't leave us, not now…not ever. We can't do any of this that we do without you, it doesn't work. I know you doubt this of me but I love you with everything I have, everything I am and _I _can't do any of this without you okay Felicity, you hear me, and you are not allowed to join everyone else. You're not allowed to just give up on us…like I did after what happened" he drug his hand down his face before interlocking his fingers with her own. "Look I honestly have no idea what to do without you with me and when I found out you were in the hospital, I don't know…everything I knew just crashed because that's the thing Felicity, my world doesn't work without _you in it_ so I'm _begging _you, please don't give up on me. I know you can hear me and I can just see you scoffing and rolling your eyes at me for being this stupid and keeping you at arm's distance"

Despite every single hard time in his life when he was forced to come face to face with one of his greatest fears, this topped the charts; a life without Felicity was a life he didn't want to live in.

"Ever since we went out to that restaurant and _that _happened. I just couldn't do it…I couldn't live with myself knowing that if we did become what I always dreamt about becoming with you then I would be basically painting a target on your back and I can't do that to you."

Breathing deeply, Oliver remembered something that his father had once said to him when he was younger.

"You know I could always talk about my problems and fears so openly to you and you would never judge me on any of them or who I once was. Frankly it's kind of weird how I'm the only one speaking and you're not"

He spent a few moments just laughing at himself for the truth behind his words before shifting his grasp on her petite hand, attempting to will her back into consciousness again.

"When I was younger my father always used to tell me that one day I would find somebody who didn't paint me as who I am based on the decisions I made in the past but on the ones that matter most and no matter how much I hurt you Felicity, you were always with me through thick and thin and you see me in a way that's so special because nobody else sees me in _that way_, not even me. You've believed in me right from the beginning and I just knew that I could trust you when I continued to come to you with all those bullshit lies, that you saw right through despite my best efforts and I can imagine you glaring at me for that one, but how I knew that you were going to be special to me was how for the first time in five years, you're the one that made me smile without even trying. You always challenge me to do better and…I want that Felicity"

He knew that once the truth came out, he wouldn't be able to hold any of it in anymore. It was out there for the world to see, _even though they already knew mostly_.

"I've never let myself dwell on the thought but all those little dreams that I kept to myself during the years we've spent together but I want you in every possible sense. I want to be the one who takes care of you, the one who listens to you ramble on about your day, to be the one who gets to wake up beside you in the morning, the one to kiss you goodnight, to hold in my arms, to make you laugh and smile the way _you _do that is so unique it's rare an it's so refreshing but most of all Felicity. I want to be the one that gets to love you with everything I am and give you whatever I can offer, to be the one who gets to start a family with you. Whether or not we're rich or poor doesn't matter but as long as I'm by your side, I'm home. So please, _don't give up_" tears were trailing down his face as he brought his head down and kissed her forehead, closing his eyes and breathing it all in.

His tears splashed on her skin as his sobs began to wrack his body. Burying his face into her bedcovers beside her hand, Oliver leaned into it as much as he could without harming her further.

If he had been aware of her then, he would've noted the tear streaming down her face.

* * *

Some people say that people in comas dream about events and whatnot that their imaginations conjure up. Sometimes it's a relief to know that they're in a place that their mind has created and most often than not, it's somewhere they ache to live as part of and for Oliver, well he wished that Felicity was in a place where she was happy and the truth simply being this.

She was.

For what Oliver didn't know was that within Felicity's imagination everyone lived their lives to the fullest they could be with those of whom they loved and adored. Those of which that had been lost to the world were now gathered together in happiness.

Sara and Tommy were joined hand in hand as they welcomed Felicity to their peace, even where Moira and Robert lived in harmony. They all embraced her as she stood by Sara and Tommy's side but one thing was evident. It wasn't her time to join them, she still had things left to do, things left unspoken. But one factor remained.

Was she ready to fight for the possibility of the life Oliver spoke of, to return to the place where she was only hurt?

The ball was in her court.

* * *

"Oliver?" a hand stroked over his hair, a touch so gentle.

Raising his head just so to see who had spoken, his eyes widened at the sight of two deep blue orbs staring right back at him.

"Felicity…"

"…it's about time"


	27. Face to Face

**Not sure where this came from from nevertheless I believe this turned into quite a good story. It seems I like bringing a tear to my eyes because, _yet again_, I managed to make myself cry into this one too. **

**I know I've already written a fanfic relative to this one's storyline but I can't help but toy around with whole idea and yes I'm not telling you the storyline even though the story is below this author's note. **

**Next chapter is going to be one from a prompt sent in by so stay tuned for that one, it's going to be interesting to say the least. I enjoy teasing you guys but not torturing though but some of you may have different opinions of that. **

**As always please leave a review, tell me your thoughts and send in any other prompts you want me to bring to life for you.  
**

**Thank you x**

Typing away, Felicity's fingers flew across the keyboard at the speed of light while she completed her remaining work she had left over from yesterday, thanks to one green vigilante _remind her to kill him next time they're in the lair. _

The phone besides her shrieking diverted a small fraction of her attention to answer, picking it up without faltering her movement on the keyboard.

"Hello" wedging the phone between her cheek and shoulder, she continued with her work, their night time activities was not going to cause her to fall behind with her work produce.

"Hello Ms Smoak, there is somebody here that's saying he would like to speak with you but doesn't have an appointment"

The sheer amount of times she's received numerous calls as this that were actually meant for Oliver was unrealistic.

"Yep you can send them up, thank you Henry and how many times have I told you to call me Felicity?"

"Same number every time Ms Smoak, I'll send him up. Enjoy the rest of your day"

"You too Henry"

Who knew that her life was about to change before her very eyes?

The sound of the elevator dinging made her eyes travel back to their original position on the screen of her desktop. Honestly she preferred working on laptops but her desktop at QC was an extremely advanced system so she had made an exception.

"Felicity?" the use of her Christian name caught her hand as she paused and looked up into the pale blue eyes of a man hovering in front of her desk.

"Mr Queen is in his office, you can go through now" she replied automatically and without thought on the matter.

"No actually I wanted to speak with you. Not Mr Queen" now that got her full attention.

"Me? Why would you want to speak with me?"

"Because there is something I would like to tell you. You know it's actually kind of funny how I've thought about this conversation for so long and to finally be able to talk to you after so long, it's not really going exactly how I thought it would play out"

"What are you…"

"Felicity has anyone ever told you what happened to your father?"

"Isn't that a bit personal don't you think? Besides, who wants to know?" frowning, Felicity crossed her arms, forming somewhat of a protective shield around herself.

* * *

Meanwhile in his office Oliver watched in the peripheral of his vision the scene that was playing out on the outside of the office.

Felicity was speaking to a man he didn't recognise as he currently studied her body language, her arms coming up to guard herself.

An action he knew too well.

They had agreed that unless she's in distress she couldn't deal with, he couldn't barge into the situation and be her '_knight in shining armour_'.

Primarily he had thought this to be unnecessary but as time edged on, he finally came around to the idea.

Besides he knew more than most that she could take care of herself perfectly well.

* * *

"No, it's not possible. My father's dead"

Felicity had just listened to this stranger talking about the possibility he may be her father, bringing her limbs closer to her body in the process as if forming walls around her, not allowing any plagued thoughts haunt her.

"Well obviously that is untrue, how else would I be able to stand here in front of you?"

The man had explained his point, sending her breath exhaling in short busts, attempting to get over the whole ordeal.

"No. I don't believe you"

"Maybe this will change your mind" the mysterious man in question reached into his pocket and retrieved a small object.

A petite hand-crafted wooden box that was beautifully detailed with floral and leaf designs, it was entrancing to follow the carvings with her eyes but focused on the bigger picture to this scene.

Opening it, he revealed an even smaller object tucked in safely inside.

Laying it on the table, Felicity's eyes widened as her heart stopped at the sight of the old treasure she had always kept close to her heart, both metaphorically and literally.

In front of her sat a golden heart locket decorated with wings and her birthstone. To the side of the centre piece hung dog tags she knew all too well.

Just like when she was younger, it reached out to her as it had done all those years ago when she believed it to be lost to her, leaving it by her bedside table then the next morning for it to disappear; brining along with it all her now forgotten memories.

Her hand hovered above it before delicately picking it up and laying it out on the palm of her hand, tracing the contents of the dog tags before her hand clenched into a tight fist around the key to her troubled past.

"Believe me now?"

"Why? Why now? Why now after all these years? Do you want to torture me further?" tears were battling to make their presence known but she refused to let _him _see her cry.

"What? No! I just….wanted to start over" his statement caused her head to shoot up and fix him with a deathly glare, which she had perfected over the period in time working alongside Team Arrow.

Standing in front of her desk with her arms crossed, Felicity stood in front of the man whom he called himself her father.

"Start over? Are you freaking kidding me? Do you really believe it to be that easy? To come back and squirm your way back into my life, well no. I don't want you in my life; I don't even want you in my sight right now. I think it would be best if you just left right now" shaking her head, Felicity began back to her desk once again but wasn't expecting his hand to tighten around her left wrist, effectively preventing her from escaping him.

"Do you think this is what he would've wanted? For us to fight instead of becoming a family once again"

The hand enveloping the necklace, protecting it from being lost once again, gripped the piece of her heart all the more.

As she felt the cool metal begin to dig into her palm, her gaze was focused out of the window as she made a feeble attempt at controlling the fury that coursed through her like a storm brewing out in the heart of the sea.

Abruptly the man, _her father_, spun her round to face him.

Going with the motion, she allowed him to spin her around but dipped into Digg's defence training, bringing her right fist up with the momentum; landing a blow to the side of his face that sent him doubling over.

"Don't you _ever _talk about him in your life! You weren't there for him when we got the letter, when _I _got the letter. You weren't there for any of us. He didn't deserve a piece of shit father as you" Felicity snarled into his face as she felt a hand come to rest at her shoulder.

From the tenderness of the action she knew instantly, without having to turn, that it was Oliver.

* * *

Witnessing the entire scene in front of him, he observed how tightly Felicity clung onto the piece that _that man _had given her but the face he received put Oliver on high alert but still didn't move.

Seeing how she stood her ground made a ping of pride rush through him, sending the side of mouth into a hint of a smirk for the courage displayed at any time of his girl and the stubbornness of not backing down so easily.

By the way her posture tensed momentarily Oliver knew that he had said something to her that she either didn't agree with or made her distressed since she had tension running off her in waves, heading straight for him and trying to draw him in with the current of the moment.

When she began shaking her head and went to return to her desk but he caught her wrist, pausing her in her movements, he had to rein in any anger spiking through him.

_How dare HE lay a hand on his Felicity? _

What really made his fury set sail into the heart of the storm was when muted words were shared between them that ultimately resulted him spinning her around and receiving a blow to the face as Oliver rose and stormed through the door of his office, Digg closing in from the opposite side alongside, daring any more actions to be permitted against his girl.

Reaching out and placing his hand on her shoulder, Oliver turned Felicity into his side while Digg got to work bringing the trash on the floor up to his feet.

"Dammit, I still have the right to see my daughter!" as soon as he spoke the words, Oliver felt himself flush with anger for the man, landing a swift blow to the stomach, he replied to his statement.

"No man has the right to see his kids after they've abandoned them to fend for themselves. I think it would be wise to ignore this day ever happened and leave before something happens, that nobody will regret besides you. Do I make myself clear?" leaning down to whisper into his ear Oliver reigned into the growl rising in his throat. "If I ever see you near this building or Felicity Smoak again, I will personally have you rid of this building and put in a restraining order against you seeing her. You gave up the right to be a part of her life when you walked out on her and never came back and now you must pay the consequences" pushing him back into Digg, who fixed him with a touch-our-girl-again-and-I-will-murder-you look only the two of them could wear as Oliver stood partially in front of Felicity.

"Don't make this harder than it needs to be man, walk out" Digg tightened his grasp on his upper arms, stopping him from reaching for Felicity again.

"You should be used to doing that by now" Felicity spoke as she exhaled deeply.

"I'm sorry"

"No you're not; you've never been nor will ever be sorry. It's who you are; you're a liar and a waste of space"

"I know. Both you and Evan deserved better and I'm so sor-" he couldn't get the rest of the word out before Felicity landed yet another punch to the point she had struck before.

"You don't even deserve the right to say his name, he was better off without you and you know the best part? In his last call he said himself that he wished you to be dead, we were all better off without you and your '_mistake' _was _our gain_" Felicity spoke her words of hatred with no emotion behind the words.

"Come on" Digg turned him out of the office, where fortunately for them nobody was since they were all on the floor below them, and towards the elevator.

However, he wasn't done yet.

Wrestling with Digg to turn his upper body back towards Felicity, the man yelled out to her, sending chills up her spine at the thought of it.

"Don't think I'm going down without a fight…" the rest of his sentence trailed off as Digg harshly spun him the other way and all but shoved him into the elevator where another member of security awaited him.

The man stood no chance.

* * *

"Felicity" Oliver's soothing voice was like a sudden spike of warmth to a cold body, unexpected.

Flinching, she backed herself up to her desk become leaning against it and hiding her head between her hands. She didn't have a clue on what path she was going to be taking next.

How could he just do that to her after all this time?

"Felicity"

How?

"Felicity, look at me"

It was inhumane, cruel.

"Felicity, you have to calm down"

Hadn't she gone through enough torture in her life?

"Felicity!" once again wincing at the hasty loudness of his voice, snapping herself out of her spiralling thoughts leading her to her own downfall. "Look at me…..he's gone, you're alright"

Opening her mouth she found no words pass her lips, only a strangled noise. She didn't know what to say. What could she say to this? Doing the only thing she currently knew how to, she began shaking her head.

"…he's never going to be gone…he'll always be like a ghost, just there"

"Felicity, listen to me, you are not alone in this anymore. You have me and Digg backing you up 100% so don't think for a second we're just going to let him take his toll on you, we're going to be here for you always, fighting for you, protecting you, guarding you. He's not going to hurt you"

Lifting her left hand, which she now realised was still fisted around the necklace, Oliver managed to pry her fingers open one by one revealing the sight of her raw red hand with the distinct imprint of the outline of the dog tags now carved into her hand.

Her gaze locked onto that of the dog tags that called out to her, she had missed the sight of them so much so she never realised how much they had been, how much he had been a part of her.

"Your brother" Oliver stated as his fingers glided across the surface of her bruised left palm.

"…Evan…he-he was my best friend….always there for me when I needed him and I couldn't help him…nobody could help him…so alone, so scared" fixating her eyes on the cold metal in her palm, she couldn't seem to divert her attention.

Not even realising what Oliver had done until she felt something against the back of her legs, he had moved them both into his office and over to the couch while Digg joined them, placing his hand on her right leg.

Turning a broken glance to him, she gave a small sad smile before he mentioned something about bringing the car around for them.

He didn't need to be asked to know that they needed privacy, not just Felicity but both Oliver with Felicity. Hopefully this time Oliver will get his arrogant head out of his ass and do something about it.

Sliding an arm round her shoulder, he gently tipped her towards him as she came to settle against his shoulder, resting her head in the crook of his neck as she refused to open her eyes and face the truth that stared her right in the eye.

* * *

She wasn't sure if it had been minutes or mere seconds but a part of her registered the memory of where in fact they were and convinced her to finally move.

"…Digg's waiting…I should go…"

"Yeah, I'll come with you" he rose with her, arm still connected to her waist.

"…Oliver…the company, you can't" she stilled.

"They can deal with both of us taking the rest of the day off. I'll just make the rest of the work up tomorrow as will you, right after we both get out of this place"

* * *

Felicity spent the remainder of that day explaining about her brother who had spent time overseas in Afghanistan serving his country and how when he came back he was completely broken beyond repair, seeing enemies in everyone except her and how she spent every night with his head in her lap falling asleep to him gripping her leg so hard he once left bruises.

How it was impossible for him to even manage to shut his eyes in his own bedroom or any room in the house frankly, how he had to sleep beside her in her own bedroom to actually get some shuteye, to believe he was safe to drop his guard whilst he slept.

On some nights he would wake up screaming in pain, in such a broken voice that it left him literally speechless robbing him of words and sounds, and how he would bury his face into her shoulder or chest and just cry until he slowly cried himself dry and fell asleep.

She explained how lost he was to the once known world, the world without pain that he would have to go to the hospital just to feel like he could breathe, breathing in the pain of those inside.

How they had spent the night in her bedroom just hugging with his crying how he wanted to go back there again, how he wanted to die there.

Felicity was in tears, staring at a point on the floor not being able to look either one of them in the eye whilst telling them the 'Tragedy of Evan' as her brain so richly called it, all the while clinging onto his dogs tags one of his friends overseas had sent her along with two letters; his own and her brother's.

Her brother's letter had multiple pages documenting all his experiences upon his return to the midst of battle. Before he had returned to her and her mother, Evan had sent daily letters which in time basically turned into his diary.

The soldier, which still kept contact with her nowadays and had his son named after the man who died saving him and named her his godmother if anything were to happen to his parents, letter included the dreaded KIA memo and how sorry he was that _he _was the reason of her brother's death.

Evan was killed taking multiple bullets from a machine gun to the chest and as he lay dying in his arms clung onto her picture of them when they both graduated and made him promise to look after his sister when he was gone, giving him his dog tags with the promise.

The day the photo was taken, which was an image in her locket, had been one of the happiest days of her life.

The image was of Felicity on Evan's back as their mother caught the photograph in the middle of them laughing their hearts out. That sibling-love for one another present in their faces as they pulled failed funny faces, his eyes crossed and her tongue pointing out to the side.

Felicity also told them that when she wanted to be close to him she would wrap herself in the flag that had been gifted to Evan when he was promoted after saving the Captain's life during a shootout, and cry herself to sleep where she would wait for him in dreams.

Proceeding to laugh at how sad that sounded which caught itself in a sob.

Oliver and Digg were distraught on hearing how tragic the story of her life was but how she passed through life with nothing but smiles and bright bold colours.

Felicity Smoak was nothing but remarkable despite what experiences she may have.

"Felicity…" Oliver sighed as he moved forward, taking her up in his arms as she fought back the tears.

"…I miss him…I miss him so much" the material of his shirt he had thrown on when they had arrived in the lair was now bunched up tightly in her fists as her shoulders shook with silent sobs.

"Felicity, believe me when I say this. Evan wasn't alone when he passed both you and his best friend was with him all the way. He didn't die unloved or alone, he was at peace" Digg spoke with a soothing voice that he saved for only Felicity, no matter what he would always love her like his little sister.

"Digg's right Felicity, because of you he felt whole again. He felt like he could finally rest in peace and besides he will live on in your memories of him. I doubt there he ever quit loving you with all his heart"

"…why couldn't I do more for him though? Why couldn't I save him? He would be alive right now"

"Felicity look at me" pulling her back by the shoulders some, Oliver locked eyes with her. "Don't ever blame yourself for what happened to him. Because it's not your fault, these things happen and you can't live life blaming yourself for them. You helped him by being there for him when he needed you and right now he would probably be saying the same thing to you as we are. He was happy being loved by you…and that's how you've got to remember him by, not by his death but by those memories you share of him" Oliver cradled her face, hating how broken she looked.

* * *

Half an hour later Digg and Oliver returned to their training and Felicity retreated to the safety of her computers, all the while the two men keeping an eye on her in the peripheral of their vision. Felicity's mind couldn't help but wander through memories and thoughts of her and Evan.

Honestly she hadn't allowed herself to grieve properly since they had been informed of him being KIA because of her mother's sake.

Donna Smoak had tried to keep her head up throughout the entire thing but only managed a step before breaking down, heavy sobs wracking her skeleton and that of her daughter's, her last remaining child, as she banded her arms round her shoulders.

Her and Evan had shared so many fond memories before he had joined the military, some making her smile and laugh at his antics.

She wasn't aware of slowly falling asleep at her desk, head perched atop her hand directed at the monitors, until all her favourite memories began playing in her head but the main one that took the majority of her attention was the time that photo he had died alongside was taken.

She knew both Digg and Oliver were right; she had been with him until his last breath and she would never forget such an honourable man than her brother, the thought of Charlie naming his son after his best friend warmed her heart.

In her dreams she and Evan remained as kids, finding their presents beneath the Christmas tree, going out into the snow covered garden at the back of the house and making snow angels and having snow fights, coming back soaking wet to their mother who would only laugh along with them.

The best part about her dreams was the fact that there was no pain, everyone was happy and content and that was how the memory of the Smoak family of three was to remain unaffected and untouched by nightmares.

* * *

Felicity didn't even remember being moved out of the lair and into her bed or losing her grip of the meaningful necklace as the man sitting with her moulded into the side of his body opened the locket.

Glancing down at the image inside of her and her brother, Oliver smiled at the happiness radiating from the image before settling down beside her and promising him to watch over her for him.

He swore it could've just been his imagination or his weariness but nevertheless before he drifted out of consciousness the words '_thank you_' echoed in his mind, making the smile on his face grow that much bolder to the world.


	28. He Who Used To Own My Heart

**So as promised last chapter here is another one from the prompt sent it by , thank you by the way for sending this one in, so I hope you enjoy reading this. Maybe it's just me being me but I don't feel as this could've been as could as it could've been so anyways I hope it's pleasant to read nonetheless. **

**Nearing the end I kind of tweaked the ending slightly to the ending Olicity scene to what I think would be cool to happen between the two and I can't wait until tomorrow where I can finally watch episode 3x07. I'm praying there's going to be alot of awesome Olicity scenes. I saw Stephen Amell saying that somewhere within the next few episodes, there should be one of the best Olicity scenes they've ever shot or something like that. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. **

**As always leave a review and send in any prompts and I'll try my hand at bringing them alive. **

**Thank you x**

Ever since they had originally been taken from her town house, Felicity couldn't avoid her spiralling thoughts to the time she believed that her ex-boyfriend who had taken the wrap for something that had been _her _fault and had believed him to have taken his own life.

The amount of time she had grieved for the life she had believed to be lost, the amount of her life she had wasted but in fact hadn't.

Thinking back to the time when she had spent hours locked up in her room just remembering his face, his touch, his smell, _him_, she now knew she hadn't fully been mourning for Cooper but for the person she had once been. That person who would never see the light again; that person who had paid for her crimes and changed her ways for the better, unbeknownst to her Cooper had only served as a distraction for the main image.

She was mourning for her own soul.

* * *

"Urgh! Why isn't she picking up?" Oliver growled out, pacing back and forth as they patiently awaited her presence but were currently met by nothing but cold air. "Felicity's never five feet from her phone, something's wrong"

His thoughts continued to swamp with thoughts of what could be happening to her, mainly taken up by her ex-boyfriend. He hated the fact that the first thing this Cooper guy does is kidnap his ex-girlfriend and possibly her mother, what kind of character was he and why the hell had he let her out of his sight?

"Oliver you might want to see this…I think its Felicity"

"What?" coming over to the computer setup, Oliver took a seat in the revolving chair and laid his eyes upon the message he knew was from Felicity.

He was right, she was in trouble.

"We're going out. Get Digg up as well, you'll need backup"

"Wait where are you going?"

"To talk to an old boyfriend of Felicity's" was his words, not breaking his stride, before marching out of the lair without so much as a glance backwards over his shoulder.

* * *

"I know that without that gun, you wouldn't last five seconds against my girl" Donna spoke whilst a tear trailed down her cheek, pride for her daughter blazing from her, witnessing a sight a mother never wanted to see.

"To bad she doesn't have five seconds" aiming the gun once again in the centre between her eyes, Felicity couldn't help but lock eyes with that of her old lover.

"I disagree. Put…the gun….down" a familiar voice sounded within the room as her eyes were torn to the accustomed shade of dark green in her peripheral vision.

She knew she was safe.

"You were always good Felicity but so am I…motion sensors"

* * *

Oliver wasn't aware of the events rolling towards him before he was once again stood in his original position, bow drawn and locked onto his target.

This was too familiar for him, the position. The Count, Slade and now ex, all holding his girl hostage as a human shield against him. A move which had become usual to him and that twisted his gut.

* * *

"This is all your fault" he whispered into her ear as he held her close, a move she had used to relate to safety, being in his arms but now the action only sent chills up her spine.

She could feel his presence beside her neck, his lips teasing her neck as her gaze locked onto the floor to the side of her. For the first time his touch made her stomach twist and turn, making her feel nauseous in its wake. Bolting her eyes up tight, Felicity listened to her own voice within the depths of her mind and forced it to focus on a different matter but maintained her alertness to his movements behind her.

"…I was planning on coming back for you, letting you in on all this but…you changed but I can't decide whether or not it's good or not. I preferred the old you, the one I fell in love with" all the time Cooper kept his voice partially muted so only Felicity could hear his words and honestly they weren't taking away that sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach. "What happened to you? You turned to the image your mother created for you…the Felicity Smoak I knew would never allow that to happen" during his words Cooper brought the gun up to rest against her temple.

The moment it entered her peripheral vision, Felicity trusted the instincts Digg and Sara had drummed into her.

Sara.

Her voice broke through the lines of defence her mind had set up against her, guiding Felicity on the way _she _would use to break free of this restriction.

She trusted her voice.

Closing her eyes, Felicity inhaled deeply before her eyes shot open and her body finally kicked in with its defence mechanism.

Grabbing the gun, she shoved her elbow into Cooper's gut and used a move she had mastered from her old dance classes to swivel on the spot, bringing the gun to the side of her ex's face with a force that knocked him to the floor.

Ignoring the shaking embracing her hands, Felicity ran to her mother as she turned, throwing the gun from her hands, and untied the bounds tying her to the chair.

Tears gushed down her mother's face as they came together in a hug, Donna's arms banding around Felicity's neck and her own came around her mother's waist. From her positioning, Felicity had full view of Oliver stood still behind them. She didn't need a mirror to know that there were currently tears brimming in her own eyes but could you blame her? It's not every day your so called _dead _ex-boyfriend comes back and threatens your life if you don't agree to his stupid plan.

The next events though, Felicity had never expected to happen.

Feeling the way her mum stiffened should've been her first warning.

"Look out!"

The second those words escaped Donna's lips, Felicity swung herself open wide, revealing the sight of Cooper kneeled up with a secondary gun pulled out facing them both.

Not leaving anything to chance, Felicity lunged herself forward and tackled him to the ground, attempting to shift the gun out of range from both her mother and Oliver, who wasn't able to get a clean shot, forcing him to stand by and watch the scene unfold and witness the unknown outcome.

Unsure of where the defence moves and strategies were coming from, Felicity refused to stop and think about the situation, in times like these thinking meant injuries and quite possibly death. Not ceasing her movements, the pair of them ended up with Cooper in the dominant position whilst Felicity used one of her hands to maintain the gun out of the reach of Cooper.

Gaining possession of the gun, Felicity lobbed it in the direction of Oliver knowing he would take care of it before focusing on Cooper.

Pinning both hands above her head memories of them in this position before attempted to cloud her logic of the situation and she knew that he was sure of what wheels were turning in her head.

"What happened to you Lissy? I miss the old you so much" mentally shaking herself out of the daze he had always used to place her under, Felicity concentrated solely on the task at hand. Sara's voice once again returning for guidance, instructing her to centre her thoughts on another matter like imagining her looming above the pair, showing her a way out.

Ceasing her movements until she was laid out beneath Cooper's prone form and judging by the darkened look in his eyes, she had his full attention. She had learnt early on just what made him near snapping, _in her favour_, and once again applied that.

Some people never change.

"…the old me is dead, and she's _never coming back_"

Roaring, Cooper raised his fist into the air as Felicity pushed his chin up and away from her, limiting his advantage to a mere nothing, as she bent her right leg up to where she could reach for her heel. She had learnt in previous encounters, which she would never tell a soul about, that her heels came into use as an extremely useful weapon.

Sending the tip of the heel of her shoe across his face, gaining a pained yelp in response, Felicity rolled their positions over and at the same time brought her clenched fist down on his undefended side of his face. A mixture of teeth and blood erupted from his mouth and scattered across the ground, marking it with crimson red.

Breathing heavily Felicity looked beneath her at the sight of her unconsciousness ex-boyfriend she had once believed to be dead and huffed out a breath at the sight, gaining her footing as she made her way away from his body, _before she doubled checked him to be out for the count_.

* * *

She and her mother had shared words that she had never believed them to be capable of sharing. Thoughts, feelings and once contained fears were set free as the distance between the two disappeared in the blink of an eye.

To be honest she had to thank Cooper for that. If all of this hadn't happened then her and her mother hadn't have been able to begin to understand the other and she would always be thankful for that but it didn't change things.

Lance promised her that she wouldn't have to deal with his face popping up again when she heard a certain vigilante duo delivering the group of men that had spread torment throughout Starling City.

* * *

"Felicity?" Oliver's voice came from behind her as Felicity once again succumbed into the land of her thoughts.

"…hmm?" was the only thing she managed to say, turning in place to look up at him, realising also that he was closer than she originally thought him to be.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah I think so…it's just old lovers have a way of opening old wounds"

"…Felicity….whatever you went through for those five years, I just want to tell you that I'm glad you did because they helped shape the person you are today. And you know how I feel about her" biting down on the last section of his sentence, Felicity did what she best, ignored the awkwardness.

"Thank you…but I guess you can say that I'm kind of glad all of this happened today with Coop. Because in a strange sense, even though he caused so much damage, he also helped things between my mother and I. Actually to a point in which in now unknown to us. So I guess it can't be all bad" the fact that she was ignoring his admittance of his still blooming feelings for her wasn't unnoticed by him.

"…thank you by the way. For being there today. I can always rely on you to have my back" smiling up at him, Felicity halted her mind from creating a thought from her virtual world where she and Oliver could be _Oliver and Felicity_, finally together.

"Always. I will always be there for you to fall back on if need be Felicity, you can always trust me"

"I know"

"You know we might need to up your defence training if this is going to become quite a frequent thing"

"I don't know, I thought I properly handed him his ass" she smiled at her own actions, leaning back in the chair and smirking up at Oliver. "I actually didn't know I had it in me"

"I did. You're always going to be remarkable Felicity…but I'm still going to be upping your training, me and Digg both…you're not getting off so easily"

"Oh you're just annoyed that I could hold my own, come on admit it…I kicked ass today, go on admit it" hunching her shoulders his way, toying slightly.

"You did alright but you still let your guard down though"

"Oh seriously Oliver? What is it with you and John? It's always pick, pick, pick"

Glaring down at her crossing her arms over her chest knowingly, Oliver couldn't help but smile. How could he not?

"Anyways before I attempt to convince myself that I can do the salmon ladder, which would be shocking in itself, I am going home where I will collapse onto my couch" at the thought of her on the salmon ladder, his eyes darkened, catching the eye of a certain Smoak. "…who knows I might even become abruptly allergic to shirts, _just to get even_, you might want to watch yourself Queen"

"I'm sorry is that a threat?"

"Nope…that my very green friend is a promise and a very funny thought in itself"

"_Very green friend?_"

"Really? That's what you got out of there? Oliver you parade around the city in a green vigilante costume and your club's called Verdant…do you really want to get yourself into that?"

"Fine, fine…but one thing though, at least let me drive you home to make sure your town house is safe for you" at his words she struggled to contain her laughter, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth in an attempt.

"What?"

"Nothing, it's just…nothing, nothing" goosebumps erupted across her skin as she went to turn off the computers.

"Felicity…"

"…_fine_, it's just I'm thinking…I'm imagining you driving my mini" when the thought was out there, they both burst into laughter.

"Good point, fine we'll take my car"

"…wait hold up, since when did you have a car?"

"How do you feel about biking?"

"Oh you mean your _green _bike?" cocking her head to the side, resembling the look she had given him all those years ago, Oliver couldn't help but smile at the sight in front of him.

"You're never going to let that one go are you?"

"Nope, not a chance"

As the two of them left the lair, joined in laughter, they both realised they would be okay. If they had each other by their side, they would be okay, all of them.


	29. I Promise I'll Never Let You Go

**I know I've already written another trope similiar to this but heck with it, I had the idea and wanted to get it down A.S.A.P before I forgot the reasons behind the actions taken. **

**But anways I hope you like this nevertheless as you've done with my previous fics. By the way if I asked you lot which trope would you say is your favourite? I think personally my favourite one is probably 'When Strength Becomes Survival', 'Crash and Burn', 'Burn' and 'Taken' but I honestly love all of them in their own individual ways. Urgh why did I have to make this so difficult?**

**As always leave a review and send in any prompts and I'll try my hand at bringing them alive. **

**Thank you x**

Pacing the floors of her town house continuously, Felicity's mind spiralled out of control at the paths being handed towards her. She thought about all the outcomes that would be paid for the resulting choice she would have to make. It was simply really.

Either stay or leave.

But did she really want to leave? Was she _ready _to leave everything she knew for three years? The home she had crafted for herself? Was she truly ready to let this all go?

Her thoughts marginally revolved round the whole Ray ordeal and she had never expected him to lean in to kiss her. Unable to stop Palmer before he brushed his lips against her own, Felicity took a step backwards, shocked by how far he had come onto her. It's not that she didn't like him, it was just that imagining her life with someone she couldn't see it with him. He was just too unlike her so she made sure to tell him that their relationship was strictly platonic as all, nothing else.

Oliver.

No matter how hard she tried, her thoughts always led her back to him again. Urgh why did he have to make this so hard on her?

He had hurt her so many times, what was there to stop him from hurting her again? How much longer would she be able to handle everything floating around the two of them ever since their date ending up as if it should be in a disaster movie?

Cowardly her mind took the path of 'what ifs'.

What if she had joined those of whom that had received fatal injuries in that restaurant? What if she had died instead of living? What if she had never accepted to join on full time onto Team Arrow? What if she had walked away before anything bad had taken place? What if Oliver had never showed up bleeding in her back seat?

_What if she had never met Oliver? _

Groaning out loud, plonking her body onto her couch like a sack of potatoes, not bothering to try and hold herself together at this point.

* * *

Earlier she had popped by the lair to update the new computer system, her paranoia coming into play ever since the clock king had gotten through her firewalls, and was met by the usual sight of the men training. Digg and Roy sparring as Oliver made his way up the ladder.

She didn't even spare any of them so much as a glance, her mind too caught up on the events of the new 'Palmer Technology'.

"So how did everything go tonight?" Digg wandered over to her desk, towel banded about his neck as he leant against the edge, looking at her.

"…unexpected to say the least" blinking at her monitors, she caught her reflection in the screen, thinking she preferred herself in her casual look rather than all dressed up like some Barbie doll.

"Is that good or bad?"

"…I honestly have no idea John" only she knew the depth to her own words, relaying on her own pain into nothing but the atmosphere around her.

She faced the music.

She didn't have anyone but herself, nobody to tell her day to, and nobody to just hold her when life came down on her a ton of bricks and whisper it would be alright. She felt empty like her MIT days following Cooper's _death_ all over again.

A couple minutes following the encounter with Digg, Oliver decided to come by and check the computer updates.

Normally he would rest his hand on her shoulder as a means of comfort but that wasn't done now. Now it was just silence between the two, only speaking on terms they knew of, their night time activities.

Peering into his eyes Felicity saw the look he gave her. It was like he was looking at her as if he had lost her. _He lost me a long time ago _her thoughts shot at him unknowingly.

Things just weren't the same between the pair of them and it wasn't just her noticing that.

Making up some excuse about feeling weary, Felicity had reigned in the urge to just boot it up those stairs enough to calmly walk out of the lair.

* * *

Stretching herself out on the couch, Felicity finally made up her mind.

She was leaving and nobody was changing her mind.

Marching into her room Felicity refused to acknowledge what in fact she was preparing to leave behind. Throwing her clothes into her suitcase, she sat at her laptop and typed out her apologies across email to John, Lyla and Roy. They didn't deserve to be caught up in this mess but sadly that was how it had played out.

Signalling a cab and telling him to drop her off at the airport, Felicity allowed herself the last moments in Starling City for possibly the last time.

The buildings that had once entranced her with their lights brightening the city up like a thousand fireflies now reminded her of the very soul that spent his life swearing the city's protection.

If he could only know how much she had failed herself by letting him get so close to bring her whole world crashing down that would be a completely different story.

* * *

"Digg what do we do now?" Roy voiced whilst burning grooves into the floor of the lair.

John had just received his email from Felicity, listing how truly sorry she was about doing this to him, his family and to Roy but it was something she needed to do for herself, and how it wasn't any of their faults.

He didn't need to be a genius to know who in fact had failed her where he had promised to protect her.

"What's wrong?" Oliver's question was like a rush of cold air to their systems.

"…Felicity's leaving"

"What?"

"…she's catching a plane at the airport right now. She said that she can't do any of this anymore, this is something she needs to do herself"

"What? No, no, she can't just…leave. We need her here"

"You should've thought about that before driving her out of range" Roy gritted his teeth, hands fisting by his sides.

"I didn't know she was going to leave" Oliver couldn't stop staring at the screen where she had written and apology to everyone besides him and he knew he didn't deserve one.

Body tensing, Oliver spun and started at a run out of the lair grabbing his keys on the way to the door.

"Where the hell are you going?" Digg yelled after him.

"Getting my girl back"

* * *

Breaking several speed barriers and red lights, Oliver dashed to the airport praying there was still a chance for him to catch her before she disappeared from his arms again.

It was in that moment when he had first found out he had been slapped across the face at his evident feelings and realised just where he wanted Felicity to be.

In his arms.

Entering the airport, his eyes scanned the area for the distinctive ponytail he knew all so well.

Tapping into his island skills to aid to his search, it came out vain as the ponytail was nowhere to be seen. Running over to windows, Oliver's eyes laid upon the figure of a woman carrying a carry on by her side. He knew that figure more that he originally thought.

Please don't let him be too late.

* * *

Boarding the plane Felicity settled her carry on by her feet as she pulled out as she placed herself in the seat beside the window, giving her a perfect view of the clouds when they were up in the air.

Voices swamped the inside of the plane as people settled into their seats, striking up conversations with their neighbours.

As the air hostess announced the take-off shortly commencing, Felicity pulled out her book she pre-packed beforehand in case her boredom took her over.

"Is this seat free?" a male voice came from her side, turning her head to the source, heart pounding in her chest at the sight.

"Oliver? What are you doing here?"

"Well hi to you too, what did you think I'd let you go without a goodbye at least?"

"Yeah right" muttering, Felicity once again resumed her original position of looking out the window.

"…Felicity…why didn't you say goodbye if you were leaving?" refusing to return the look, she soon registered the fact that they were now taking off and with Oliver beside her; this would be a long flight to her destination.

"Why are you here Oliver? Shouldn't you be busy with someone?" he didn't have to ask by the choice of wording that she was referring to the Arrow without giving him away but a hint of anger seeped through also.

"…I couldn't let you go Felicity. The moment I knew where you were going I sped to the airport and just managed to catch up to you…..LA? You're going back home?" he knew an ounce of the control he had over his emotions was slowly slipping away and the hurt he had felt ever since witnessing the kiss between her and Palmer got lost within his voice.

"I don't really know where my _home _is at this moment in time"

"…Felicity…" Oliver started but was interrupted.

"You saw didn't you?" she answered partly without looking at him, keeping her gaze solely on the clouds. "…the kiss" huffing at herself for not seeing it before, Felicity fiercely kept the tears at bay.

"I always did have the worst timing….but yes, I did"

"And you turned around and walked away….meaning you didn't see what happened next did you?" she could feel his breath against the back of her neck.

_Control yourself Smoak, don't get lost in the impulse. _

"What do you mean?"

Thank god the people sitting around them were all caught up on their own matters to observe their conversation.

"…after he kissed me, I said that I just wanted to keep our relationship strictly platonic, professional…he didn't seem so happy about that so I told him to either accept it or get his head out of his ass and find another person to fill the job" shifting her shoulders so they laid in a more comfortable position, she rested her head on the head rest behind her, head tilted to the side at an angle.

"…oh…I…I'm sorry that I jumped to conclusions" looking down at his hands in his lap, he continued trying to get everything off his chest all at once for both of them. "…so why did you leave then?"

"Because everything's just changed, it's become too overwhelming for me. Where there used to be warmth all there is just…nothing but chills. That's one of the reasons why I came to Starling in the first place and now all of this is just becoming too much I might as well just leave before I lose myself in it too"

"I'm sorry"

"Don't Oliver, not all of it is your fault most of it is my own. My stupid beliefs that I could escape the dark just…blinded me"

"Felicity there's something I need you to know. Ever since that date, the reason I pushed you away was because I was scared. Everything about you scares me, the fact that I've grown so accustomed to your ways, your babbling so much that I can't go through each day without hearing it. But most of all I was scared that for the first time in my life I could see a future with you, you made me see parts of me that I never believed were there. Ever since I returned from that blasted island the second I walked into your office, you made me genuinely smile without even trying to do so. I was scared that for the first time in my life, I had something to lose because if I lost you from my life, I would never get over you. You're _it _for me Felicity; the one I would die a thousand times over for in a heartbeat because that's the thing _there's no choice to make_"

Thanking her decision to keep her head turned to the window it gave her the opportunity to hide the tears straying from her eyes but one thing she couldn't help was the shiver that sent goosebumps scattering across her skin and for her hair to stand on end.

Damning his ability to read her so well, also reading between the lines, Oliver brought his hand to rest atop her leg where her right hand laid. Without second thinking the action, they both entwined their fingers together as Felicity's head stubbornly refused to move so much as an inch.

Watching the sun begin to set just above the cloud bank, weariness began to set in as another round of thoughts hit her.

Would she be able to go through with this?

"Come here" Oliver whispered in her ear as he guided her towards him, her temple resting against his shoulder as he wrapped his arm round her waist, pulling her in close to his warmth. "Go to sleep, you look like the walking dead" his statement gained a slight laugh from her drowsy body.

"Coming from you, now you know how you look most of the time"

"I don't look like a zombie"

"...maybe…you do look like something the cat dragged in though" she could feel his chest rumble as a chuckle sounded from his lips before kissing the top of her head, resting his cheek atop and closing his own eyes with the feeling of Felicity safely tucked in within his arms where he had always wanted her.

* * *

Wandering out of the airport with his girl secured in his arms attached to his chest as her soft breathes tickled the side of his neck like the soft touch of a feather.

"Oliver" Digg welcomed him and sleeping hacker safely cradled in his arms, not helping but smile at his best friends, his team mates who had finally both gotten their heads out of the ass.

It was about time.

"Where to?"

"No, go home to Lyla and Sara, I got her" he shook his head being careful to not wake Felicity up from her peaceful slumber.

"Thanks Oliver" loading Felicity's bags into the trunk of the cab he had hailed, Digg rested his hand on his shoulder as he normally did with Oliver before kissing Felicity's forehead, being rewarded by a sleepy sigh and her cuddling further into Oliver, who ever so slightly tightened his grip on her.

"No John. Thank _you_"

"Anytime"

* * *

Holding Felicity close to him as he walked across the entrance to his penthouse, located near Verdant and Thea's apartment where she and Roy now shared, he went straight to his bedroom and dressed them both in two of his dress shirts before placing Felicity carefully on the bed, tucking her beneath his covers and took the time to just look at the picturesque sight before him.

He was downright the luckiest bugger in the world to be able to even know this remarkable woman and god help him if he mucked this last chance up.

Shifting himself beneath the covers beside her, Oliver banded both arms tightly about her waist, bringing her closer to him than he could've done before.

As she murmured something and burrowed deeper into his chest, surrounding herself with more of his scent, Oliver promised himself that no matter what happened he would never turn his back on her like he had once done.

How stupid he had been to let her slip through his fingers. Well now he was holding onto her because she was his lifeline, his anchor that tethered him to reality and to the light.

Someone had once told him that in your life you should never place so much on that person for that could haunt you at night but he didn't care, he trusted her with his life and he wouldn't change a single aspect of it.


	30. Mistletoe

**So since Christmas is shortly going to be upon us, I've decided to try and see how many Christmas fanfics I can write so please send in as many Christmas fanfic ideas as you can and we'll see just how many we can accomplish. **

**As always leave a review and tell me your thoughts! Hope you enjoy!  
**

**Thank you x**

"Come on you lazy buggers! It's Christmas!" Thea yelled at the top of her voice, parading through the several separate wings of the Queen manor and infiltrating into everyone's bedrooms.

"ROY! Will you control your girlfriend for Christ's sake!" Oliver growled for the red-hooded boy as he brought himself closer to Felicity's warmth, nuzzling her hair.

"You actually think I can control her? You're barking up the wrong tree buddy!" Roy responded from the doorway, still sluggish from sleep, most likely having been disrupted by his own that morning.

As Felicity huffed humourlessly at the two men as Roy battled Oliver's known glare.

"Oi! Some of us are trying to sleep over here!" Nyssa's voice belted down the hallways as anger from sleep deprivation was shown on full display.

"Well not anymore, come on guys! Up, up, up!" Thea was far more cheerful than the rest of them still attempting a last resort to gaining a couple more minutes.

"I'm Jewish! Meaning I don't need to get up!" Felicity's voice came out partly muffled by the pillow she had placed over her face, trying to drown out the voice of her sister-in-law.

"Nope, not happening Mrs Queen, if I have to get up so will you" Oliver's smirk was present in his voice as he removed the pillow and passionately kissed her with all the love he held for the remarkable woman.

Coming back up for air, his thumb stroked her left finger which housed two rings, one beautiful custom-made arrow engagement ring while being partnered by a golden, emerald encrusted wedding band.

"You're getting far too much enjoyment out of this" she whined as her right hand attempted to reach down for the duvet.

Chuckling deeply at her attempt, Oliver took mercy on her and provided his body heat as a make-shift blanket of muscle.

"I have every right to take pleasure in enjoying my new life with _my wife_"

"You're never going to get old of that are you?"

"Impossible" he grinned devishly before diving back in for yet another heated kiss but a hammering on their bedroom door interrupted him. Growling in response, Felicity laughed at the almost murderous look on his face at being interrupted.

"I mean it you two! If I don't see both your sorry asses downstairs in _10 minutes _there will repercussions! _10 MINUTES_!"

"Urgh, tonight I am giving you my own Christmas present and _nobody _is going to interrupt us unless they want an arrow through the chest" he snarled playfully into her neck, making her laugh at the tickling sensation.

"Good thing we left your bow and quiver at the Foundry then…besides I don't think anyone can top your present last year"

Her memories of last year's Christmas played on a loop when Oliver had gotten down onto one knee and proposed to her, later on in the year making her Felicity Queen, now that was an unforgettable Christmas.

Oliver ended the conversation with a searing kiss before making a move to leave the comfort of their King-sized bed and downstairs to where an overexcited Queen bounced on the balls of her feet, setting the table for the Christmas breakfast.

* * *

Descending the stairs with his arm looped around her waist Oliver and Felicity joined the already present couples of; Roy and Thea, Laurel and Tommy and Diggle and Lyla, all of whom were just about finishing setting the table for the rest of them.

Roy wore red plaid pyjamas, Diggle wore dark blue and Tommy wore hot pink- he didn't seem to mind mostly because of his own wife kept laying kisses on him every second of the hour, while Oliver only wore dark green plaid pyjama bottoms. Thea wore a red and white polka-dot flannel two piece, Lyla wore a light blue flannel top and dark blue pants, Laurel wore a pink nightie complete topped off with lace while Felicity wore a purple tank top with purple flannel pants.

"Hold on, where's Sara and Nyssa?" Felicity asked as she grabbed the jug of coffee wobbling in Thea's grasp, Thea nodding her gratitude for the save.

"Present" the unison of their voices caught the rest of the couples' attentions as they turned their heads to see both Sara and Nyssa dressed in similar jet-black tank tops and shorts.

"Nyssa! I wasn't aware you were going to be joining us!" Thea threw her arms around the brunettes neck as the woman in question tensed slightly, bringing her arms around the younger Queen. Nyssa wasn't used to hugs besides those from Felicity and Sara.

"She snuck in last night" Felicity's amused voice caught the woman's gaze for second, seeing the smirk on her face.

"How were you aware of my presence?" Nyssa questioned.

"Blame Mr. Arrow over there, he's snuck in through the window more times than I can count so it just became like a second nature to me" Felicity explained, laughing at Oliver's expression. He wasn't denying anything.

"Well that's what happens when you ignore me for a week" coming over to playfully nuzzle her neck, making her squeal in laughter and for Lyla to save the coffee before it ended up smashed.

"Now that week was nothing but fun to watch. The look on Ollie's face could tell he was ready to jump her at any second" Tommy joined in the laughter before Laurel fell into his side as well. Soon everyone was in deep laughter at Oliver who still hadn't moved from his wife's side.

"I'm going to get you back for that one as well" he whispered in her ear, sending along a promise.

"Anyways before you two begin to get overly attached to one another, let's move onto breakfast and keep it _strictly PG_ capesh?" Thea used her loud voice on the couple.

"Why do you always aim that mostly at me?" he replied whilst snaking his arms about Felicity's waist.

"No trick questions either mister"

With that they all settled to their breakfast to which Oliver placed his hand high on Felicity's thigh. In response, she leant over to whisper in his ear.

"Keep this up and there will be _no tonight_, clear"

"When did you get so goddamn bossy?"

"Learnt from the best" teasing his ear with her breath, Felicity smirked at his realisation that this day just became slightly more difficult on his end.

"You are so going to get it when I get my hands on you tonight"

"Oi, what did I say about PG?"

* * *

Finally finishing their breakfast, the team then moved onto opening the presents. Going through each and everyone's presents, they eventually came to Felicity's.

Bringing over a box with holes stabbed into the top, Oliver placed the crate on her lap before removing the lid.

"Oh…my…god, he is _adorable_!"

A small nose poked its way over the side of the box, located inside laid a male German Shepherd pup wearing a green collar finished with an arrow dog tag which was yet to hold the name of the pup.

"I thought you'd like him"

"Like him? I _love him_!" minding the pup now sat happily on her lap, Felicity threw her arms around her husband's neck as she gave him a quick but deep kiss, pulling back before he could answer her.

"Aw! He's so cute!" Thea cooed over him, along with the rest of the women. The men smiling at them cooing over the pup as though he were a baby. "What are you going to call him?"

"I think I've got an idea….what about Beau?"

"Bow?" Oliver frowned for a split second before shaking his head at her in amusement.

"Not Bow, Beau as in B-E-A-U"

"Oh, that's a perfect name!" Laurel cheered.

"Alright now my present for you"

She had forced herself to keep this 'present' a secret from all her friends and her husband for weeks. She had only found out herself a couple days ago and had decided it would a perfect present for Oliver on Christmas day.

Picking off an envelope off the mantel above the fireplace, Felicity returned to his side and Beau climbed onto her lap and snuggled into the crook of her arm before falling asleep.

Handing over the envelope, she tried her best to contain the smile that was threatening to erupt across his face.

Carefully untacking the back, Oliver opened the present and removed the image stored safely inside and froze.

"Ollie? What is it?" Thea's voice didn't even make him twitch as his gaze remained glued onto the picture in his hands.

"Is this…I...?" he found himself asking, Felicity's smile couldn't be kept at bay any longer and spread across her face in a matter of moments. "…Felicity?"

"I know"

"How?"

"Do I really need to give you that speech?"

The next Felicity knew Oliver was picking her up and bringing her to sit on his lap, careful of the sleeping pup that remained in her arms, and kissed her passionately.

"Oliver?"

"I'm going to be a father!" he soon found the smile Felicity wore to be contagious as it slowly spread from face to face.

"OMG!" Thea bounced to her feet, startling the pup awake and causing him to burrow deeper into Felicity, already feeling a bond forming between the two. "I'm going to be an Auntie!"

With that the entire group of friends began celebrating with the now expecting couple.

* * *

Soon calming down for the dinner, Oliver found himself not being able to stay away from Felicity. Always somehow keeping contact with her still flat stomach, imagining that in a few months he would be able to hold their child in his arms along with his wife. The beginning of his own family.

Felicity had been wrong about one thing though, _nothing _could top this Christmas present as they all retreated to their separate rooms that night. Beau making himself comfortable settled on the pillow between both Oliver and Felicity.

"Thank you for everything Felicity. I couldn't have asked for a better Christmas present than to know that we're going to be able to start our own family. I love you so damn much Felicity Queen" Oliver spoke on repeat throughout the night.

No matter what though, nothing could whip the smile off from his face through the days and weeks to come.

**Why am I so sappy when it comes to Olicity fanfics? I think I just get too caught up in the magic of their relationship to see just how much of an affect it has on me. **

**But this is too much fun not to do. **


	31. Christmas Decorations

**I had to write this as today me and a couple of my family members put up our Christmas decorations and this happened to me so naturally, _why not make an Olicity fanfic out of it?_  
**

**I'm having way too much fun writing Christmas fanfics. :D**

**As always leave a review and tell me your thoughts! Hope you enjoy!  
**

**Thank you x**

"Why did I let you talk me into doing this and why did you bring Christmas decorations?"

"Because you love me and because I know you don't fully celebrate the holiday so I'm here to make sure you do. Well that and I wanted to spend some time with you.

"I'm beginning to regret agreeing to this in the first place"

"Oh put a sock in it and focus, we have to get this house looking ready for Christmas!"

* * *

"Nick can you do me a favour?" Felicity threw over her shoulder at the man behind her, who had surprised her into coming to Starling City for the holidays and was currently helping her decorate her home with a _load _of Christmas decorations.

Sure she didn't fully celebrate Christmas but since her 'estranged' cousin had come to her neighbourhood for the holidays, she had been willing to compromise.

"Sure, what do you a hand with?"

"Can you pick me up so I can reach the corner?"

From her current position of attempting to reach above the bookcase but ultimately failing before even getting the ceiling decoration anywhere close the intended position.

Before she could even turn and see where her cousin was, a squeak escaped her mouth as Nick hoisted her up onto his shoulders so her legs came to lock at her ankles against his chest.

Knocking sounded through the hallway, causing Nick to swing them both around to face the sound.

"Someone's at the door, I dare you to answer it while still up there" his cheerful voice was something she always hated because it always came alongside something else in the process, most often being chaos.

"Fine, you probably wouldn't even let me down otherwise"

"Nope"

"Well, march then and watch out for the doorframe while you're at it" she cautioned as Nick moved them both to the front door.

Swinging it open, Nick revealed Oliver, Digg, Thea, Roy, Tommy and Sara standing outside looking confused.

"Uh…hi, is Felicity in?" Oliver asked.

"Yep, up here" grasping hold of the top of Nick's head, Felicity balanced herself atop his shoulders.

"We're decorating for Christmas" he laughed up at her glare.

"Guys meet my ass of a cousin Nick, Nick meet Oliver, Digg, Thea, Roy, Tommy and Sara"

"Nice to meet you, you're welcome to give us a hand if you want. Now back to decorating" Nick announced, gripping the backs of Felicity's legs before turning back to the doorframe once again.

"Nick! Watch the frame!" Felicity partially shouted down at her cousin as he strode on, ignoring her shouts.

"Well then you'd better duck!"

"Nick…will you…stop…" the rest of the sentence trailed off as Felicity was forced to grasp hold of the top of the doorframe to stop herself from falling off but refused to release it for the fear of falling on her ass.

"Felicity, let go. I got you. Don't you trust me?"

"No, I don't. I trust this hunk of wood more than you"

Both cousins were laughing at each other as Felicity continued to cling onto the doorframe as if it were her lifeline, Nick attempting to pull her forward with him but her fighting his attempts.

"Hey, I got you" turning her head slightly at the grinning voice, Felicity saw Oliver standing beneath her extended back in case she fell. Now Oliver she trusted to catch her if she fell. "You trust me don't you?"

"Platonically speaking? Yes" the wording cast the pair back to the scene in the elevator and got a smile on both their faces, widening the already present ones. "Oh shut up"

Releasing her hold of the frame, Nick brought her back up to full height atop his shoulders again and returned to their original position.

Coming to stand in front of the bookcase, Felicity bent over the top of the shelves and towards the corner that had caused her so much trouble in the first place.

* * *

"You know I'm hurt that you don't trust me" Nick mock pouted.

"Stop being a baby, last time I trusted you I face planted the wall and also was knocked unconscious. So you can't blame me and besides you're you so there's another reason"

"Pfft…it wasn't that bad"

Looking down at him with an _'are you kidding me right now'_ look, he raised his hands in surrender before lowering her to the floor, bending down to a kneeling position.

"So what can we do to help?" Thea jumped forward in glee.

"Pick a decoration and put it wherever the hell you want, that's how we normally decorate apart from Liz here" receiving a jab for his side from the woman in question.

"That's because I don't fully celebrate it. You're lucky I decided to agree to even let you in my house, which I still regretting" shaking her head at herself, Felicity moved to pick another decoration.

* * *

Thanks to Thea, Sara, Tommy, Digg and Oliver, Felicity and Nick managed to get the house decorated in less than an hour and even Nyssa, Laurel and Lyla came by to lend a all were having the time of their life as several times they all burst out laughing when Nick ended up on his ass.

In the end they all collapsed onto the floor around the living room, everyone's head on someone else's body.

Lyla had her head on Digg, Digg had his head on Nick, Nick had his head on Felicity, Felicity had her head on Oliver, Oliver had his head on Roy, Roy had his head on Thea, Thea had her head on Laurel, Laurel had her head on Tommy, Tommy had her head on Sara, Sara had her head on Nyssa whose head was on Felicity's legs.

"Well that was fun" Thea laughed out. "You know what we should do, we should go and decorate the mansion and all of us have Christmas there and of course Nick has to bring along the stories of Lissy when she was younger. Now that is something I'd love to hear"

"I'm accepting that invitation instantly"

"Just be careful, I've got multiple stories of you as well" Felicity glanced down at him. "What was that thing you used to say? Mess with the fire, get the Smoak or something?"

"That is one of the cheesiest things I've ever heard" Roy got everyone else in another fit of laughter.

"One thing's for sure though, this Christmas just got interesting" Oliver grinned down at Felicity, who smirked back at the drunken stories of him only she knew.

Not for long.


	32. Lost Soul

**Frankly I have no idea where the hell this came from and I know it's not Christmas-y and all but with the events that happened in 3x09 were so painful to watch, honestly, and my brain kind of erupted with the feels and this was produced. This story, in a way almost, incoporates my views of how unfair everything in Arrow is to Felicity. Felicity Smoak will always be the best character in the series! **

**So this is sort of like a one of thing, next trope going up will be Christmas-y, I promise. **

**Anyways hope you like it nonetheless and as usual, don't forget to leave a review and tell me your thoughts and if needed, to express any views on how utterly painful that last episode was. **

**But I swear to God, it they don't have Oliver fighting to return to Felicity, I'm going to stop watching the show altogether. It just hurts too much. **

They all said he was dead.

Nyssa had returned to Starling City and laid upon the team- his team with the abrupt news of Oliver's death. She froze; her heartbeat being the only thing that her mind seemed to register.

She screamed until her voice was lost to her also.

Digg caught her about her waist, his strong arms being the only thing holding her up from crashing to the floor as her legs lost all feeling. Thea yelling at the top of her lungs for Nyssa to leave the lair, when she had originally found out about all her brother had done for the city was beyond her.

At this point, Felicity didn't care.

She had lost the very person whom she had promised herself she would never lose from her life when the real truth was the fact that they both had lost the other long ago, she had only lost him physically now.

She would never see him again.

She would never see his face again, his eyes, the once present torment that she had seen once he had returned from the island, the first time she had seen him. The first time he had walked into her office with that laptop full of bullet holes, she had seen something that troubled him in his eyes from the moment she first laid eyes on him.

Sure she had been attracted to him, who wouldn't? But the main thing was that there was an air about him that already told her something from day one about his character. No judgement on the person which he had once been.

Survivor.

Now she knew what that had been. Everything about him had screamed survivor.

That's what he did, he survived.

He survived the shipwreck, Robert's death, the island, the Undertaking, Tommy's death, Vertigo, Slade and his army, Moira's death, the second downfall of their city, Thea's disappearance from the city, the devastation of their first date when that bloody restaurant exploded, Sara's death, Cooper's reappearance and he would survive Ra's al Ghul.

He would come home to her.

That's the thought that drove her for those months when she prayed to anyone who was listening to let him walk through that door and into her arms but nothing.

He hadn't returned.

He said that he loved her and she just stood there in silence watching him with her heart beating as loudly as it once had, that fear of the unknown was too great for her to ignore. Every ounce of her being screamed at her to tell him that she loved him back but she didn't.

She let him walk out that door alone with the weight of many resting upon his shoulders; she let him bear the burden alone.

She hated herself with a passion but it wasn't her fault, no matter how many times she tormented herself otherwise. Oliver had chosen to walk that path alone with his own two feet.

He had chosen to go it alone and that was something she couldn't change.

* * *

The world finally came crashing down around her as the truth stared her straight in the eye.

Nobody was going to come for her, in this world she completely and utterly alone.

Diggle now had his wife and daughter, Roy was rebuilding his relationship with Thea, even Laurel had Ted now while that left her on her own once again.

Her father had left her, Cooper had made her believe him to be dead for years and now Oliver was gone from her life as well.

Why did the universe hate her so much?

Staring out of her bedroom window out onto the sight of her city shining through the darkness of the night, rebuilding itself up for a second time, it stood with such solitary on its own with nobody having to hold it up.

Why couldn't it be like that for her?

She had come to the end of her line; she wanted her misery to end so badly. What was the point in living if the only thing to hold onto was pain?

Her eyes glazed off into the night sky, her view being filled with nothing but the light of the moon that shone down upon her.

This was how she wanted to end but life denied her the satisfaction of even that so she just stayed there, continued to lay there without so much as an essence of the light that had once swamped her life even though she was on her own, she was independent.

It's all fun and games until you get hurt and that was exactly what had happened to her, she had been hurt so many times how she continued to stand was history for her but enough was enough.

She was done.

* * *

Her phone screeching out loud into the empty expanse of silence that now filled her was ignored as always. It was probably one of her friends ringing to check up on her.

It was yet another attempt to end in failure.

It was failure to get her to move, to get her to breathe, to live.

* * *

The sound of her name being called sounded so distant and unfamiliar it didn't even register with her until hands were moving her limp body with such care.

"Felicity" a voice spoke her name in an exhale as hands continued to move her motionless form into a strong pair of arms, cradling her in their lap while her head rested at the crook of their elbow. "Felicity, please, say something. Please, come back to me"

His voice was familiar, too familiar but still she refused to pick up the remains of her now shattered heart, her very existence steadily drifting away.

Oliver.

"Felicity listen to my voice, I did not fight my way back for you to just give up on everything, everyone without a fight. I love you alright, you never gave up on me and there is no way in hell I'm giving up on you Felicity. Don't give into this; you're too valuable to be lost from our lives. I can't lose you again…I can't lose you ever. You're the reason why I fight; you're the very person who gave me strength to fight in my most vulnerable hour, to fight to get back to you Felicity. Where's the woman who never stopped fighting? Please" his face buried in her neck as he brought her up to hug her close to his chest, to his heart.

Tears escaped the barricades, soon leading revolutions as her eyes fluttered against the intensity of the sudden light that steadily returned to her once again.

Looking around her, Felicity witnessed her own body held so tightly against Oliver's own figure as he treated her as if she were so fragile, a smile gracing her features at his own rough ones; his hair that looked as if he had a mop glued upon his head.

"Oliver" her voice returned with such strength.

His face shot up to meet her gaze, right hand cupping her cheek as his thumb ran over her soft features.

"I love you so much" his eyes brimming with unshed tears as her own hand came up and traced his new scars, scratching over his rough stubble as he leant heavily into her touch, purring like a cat.

"I love you, forever and always" her words triggered a switch as Oliver released the wall that separated the world from his vulnerable side, keeping it protected from harm but with Felicity that wasn't necessary for she understood him better than anyone.

"Always have, always will. Don't ever do that again"

"Speak for yourself" she laughed as her body revelled in his touch, burying herself deeper in his warmth.

Soon Oliver was laughing alongside her as he kept her close at all times, changing their position to burrow under her duvet.

* * *

Felicity would always fight for both herself and those she loved and cared for but sometimes she needed someone to soften the walls that guarded her heart so viciously from the horrors of the world, and that someone was Oliver.

He would always remain beside her no matter what and the journeys they both experienced only lived to enhance that. Oliver's fight for survival once again, fighting to return to the woman he loved with everything he had and held in the world.

They needed each other like they needed oxygen to breathe and without them, they were better off dead.

A life without the other was unthinkable.


	33. Family is Forever

**So here's yet another Christmas fanfic from the prompt of mistletoe by _michellemaldonado _so I hope you enjoy reading this and as always leave a review and tell me your thoughts! **

**Thank you x**

She wasn't really sure as to why she had even agreed to Thea's idea of her joining her, Roy and Oliver for Christmas but honestly she just figured why the hell not, sure she didn't celebrate Christmas really but that didn't mean she wanted to spend it sat on her couch watching Christmas movie and movie.

Yesterday afternoon Thea had basically cornered her after she had given all three of them their Christmas present for that year at the mansion, once Felicity spoke the words 'spending the day watching movies on my couch alone' Thea's eyes had widened but the question being whether or not it happened in shock or excitement she would never know the answer to, maybe even both.

If there had been a way out of it then believe her, she would've used it without any second guessing. Spending Christmas day with her boss-turned best friend, his sister and her boyfriend, who also worked alongside her in the Foundry with Digg as well- why couldn't he be there to save her, was weird beyond all imagining.

So here she was waking up to Thea's all-too chipper voice, especially for this early in the morning, groaning while burying her head further into her pillow.

Next thing she knew the guestroom door was being blown open by a force to be reckoned with being followed by a grinning Oliver Queen, that smug bastard.

"Come on Felicity, up, up, up! It's Christmas!" Thea sung, skipping down the corridors.

"You heard the woman Felicity" she could hear the grin in his voice as he sat on the side of her bed, pulling the duvet down a bit more to uncover the top of her head.

"I'm allergic to early mornings" her sentence was muffled by the pillow but still she refused to move.

"Uh huh, yeah right. I thought you're always early into work…every…single…day" he lowered his face to whisper the last words into her ear.

"I hate you" turning her body over Oliver smiled down at her as Felicity glared up at him. "Why did I agree to this again? I could be home right now, _sleeping_" she put an extra emphasis on the last word, before attempting to pull the duvet back up to cover herself again but meeting resistance when Oliver's arm laid down on it, halting her attempts laughing all the while.

"Nope not happening…come on, don't make me carry you down"

Trying one last time, Felicity all-but dove into the duvet in an attempt to bury underneath it like she used to when she was younger but Oliver, damn his ninja senses, caught her at the last possible second and swung her into his arms and trudged out of the doors and towards the living room.

"Oliver, put me down…Oliver!" Felicity giggled while trying to escape his arms.

"Nope, you didn't get up on your own so I'm just giving you a hand" continuing to escape his grasp, Oliver just tightened his arms round her figure. "You do realise that the more you struggle, the tighter I'm going to hold you"

"I'm not stopping anytime soon so _put me down_"

"On one condition; say I'm your best friend out of everyone" halting his steps at the half-way point on the stairs, he turned his gaze to the woman cradled against his bare chest.

"I will never say such a thing!"

"Fine, suit yourself. Let's just see how long you'll last then"

"What! You didn't say anything about carrying me all day, besides you may be strong but you're not strong enough to carry me that long" crossing her arms, she smirked up at him.

"Well then, I guess we'll see just how long we both last then"

* * *

"Ollie, why are you carrying Lissy?"

"We're doing a dare"

"He's being irritating" they both replied at the same time, turning their gaze to the other.

"What dare?"

"Seeing who gives up first, my strength or Felicity's annoyance at me carrying her"

"Well this Christmas just got all the more exciting" Roy laughed at the two, who both shot him a glare which only made him laugh all the more and for Thea to join in as well, falling onto the couch beside him.

"Presents, let's do presents"

* * *

Roy got Thea the new pair of shoes she had been wanting ever since they came out but unfortunately had soon sold out.

The pair of open-toe red pumps had a floral decoration coating the sides that looked utterly beautiful.

"Oh my God, Roy, how did you get these? They sold out before even _I _could get my hands on a pair!" jumping in his lap and cuddling into his chest, Thea peppered kisses on his face before he could even respond to any of them.

Groaning lowly so only Felicity could hear him, struggling to hold in laugh also, he hid his face in her neck which just made her smile grow all the more.

"Someone owed be a favour so I cashed it in"

"You used it up on me? Ah Roy, you're too cute"

"I'm not _cute_" his tone made the laugh bubbling inside let loose before she could do anything to stop it, clapping a hand over her mouth.

"That is cute Roy" Oliver laughed along with Felicity.

"I hate you all" crossing his arms like a little kid just made them all burst out laughing, Roy soon joined in.

"Open you present" sliding the box towards him, Roy ripped off the wrapping before opening the top flaps revealing another package inside. His eyes widened at the sight of the image on the side.

"An iPad…how did you?"

"I may have asked a certain someone to do a little snooping on your wish list" instantly all eyes went to Felicity's, who gaze was off admiring the star on top of the tree in obvious guilt as she whistled away.

"Gee, I wonder who that_ 'someone'_ could be" Oliver said in obvious emphasis, shaking his head with a smile.

"Well thank you to that _'someone'_ then" smiling at Felicity before Thea shoved her present to Oliver.

Resting the gift on Felicity's stomach, Oliver revealed a shirt folded up, Felicity began laughing at the words it read to which Oliver signed loudly.

The words read 'KEEP CALM AND #SHIRTLESS' and the background of the shirt was his own abs.

"Really, is this this really necessary Thea?"

All three friends began laughing at the look on his face as Oliver all but growled at his sister then at Felicity, who was red with laughter, hands clutching her stomach. However, the growl directed at Felicity was more playful than serious but still didn't halt her laughter so in a poor attempt she buried her face in his shoulder, which just made Oliver tighent his grip on her all the more.

* * *

Once the laughter had calmed, Thea passed Felicity her present from Oliver.

Unwrapping the Christmas themed wrapping paper, Felicity held the small jewellery gift box, giving Oliver a pointed look at the colour green used which he simply ignored. The box was dark green with small white snowflakes covering the whole thing.

Unlatching the top of the box, Felicity gasped at the beauty of a secret laid hidden inside.

A sterling silver bracelet with a T-bone heart and arrow clasp captivated her, her breath catching in her throat. Oliver reached down to collect the charm bracelet and take up her hand in his own, turning it over to thread the arrow through the heart around her wrist.

"To add charms to throughout years" he whispered to the woman in his arms.

"And that brings me to my present" Thea gifted another jewellery box.

Wrapped up in the box laid out a gorgeous sterling silver cubic zirconia glass of red wine charm to add to her bracelet, it looked like both Queens had actually worked together to gift her their presents.

"It's...they're…stunning" Felicity couldn't wipe the current smile off her face even if she wanted to.

"Hey Ollie, are you going to let Lissy out of your arms to let her get your present?"

"You're just trying to let her win the dare" shooting his sister a dare that would send most people running for the hills.

"Can't blame me for trying" Thea shrugged whilst Roy's arm wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her back into his chest.

"Traitor"

"Well not my fault I prefer Lissy"

"Thea!" he began laughing but tightened his grip on Felicity when she went to pull out of his hold, his right arm came to rest across her stomach interlocking his fingers with his left hand, which was positioned beneath her shoulders.

Shifting closer to the tree, Thea carefully transferred the present to Felicity who balanced it on her stomach. Moving into a more comfortable position, Oliver slowly unwrapped the paper, revealing a box.

Upon opening the box, he froze, not such much as a blink.

Felicity's heart pounded like a steady drumbeat as she waited on Oliver's response.

After what seemed like an eternity, Oliver finally turned his tearful gaze to Felicity's.

"Ollie?"

Cautiously Oliver lifted the gift from the box and showed it to Thea and Roy, who both sharply inhaled.

An image stood stoic inside of a snow globe that had a dark green base with the words 'Family is Forever' carved into the bottom. The image was from an earlier gala, in which; Moira, Robert, Oliver, Thea and Tommy all stood with their arms wrapped around each other laughing like school children.

It was safe to say that Oliver was in downright awe.

Holding the globe close to his chest, he pulled Felicity all the more closer to him while burying his face in her neck, whispering 'thank you, it's perfect' and Felicity returning the hug gladly.

* * *

Later that night the dare continued on but not in the way Felicity had been expecting, she hadn't been aware of the fact but Oliver had strangely placed her somewhat strategically on the couch until Thea begun laughing, claiming it was so predictable.

In her curiosity she shifted her gaze up above her and froze again for another time that night.

Really?

When the couch beside her dipped she didn't need to turn to see who it was, she already knew.

That smug bastard.

"Oh look at that, what a surprise" she remarked, her voice full of sarcasm as she shot him a pointed look but was just met by a grin.

"Well you know the tradition Felicity"

"Oh well I hate to break it to you Oliver but I'm Jewish, I don't do the traditions. So sorry"

"Nuh uh, not taking no for an answer" he said before sliding a hand to the nape of her neck and pulling them together for a passion full kiss, which left them both gasping for air at the end.

"Oh great, now mum and dad are at it" Roy grumbled as both he and Thea promptly left the room, which just made Felicity laugh into Oliver's neck as they separated to breathe.

* * *

Releasing a low moan, Felicity shifted to her back to peer at the plank of muscle deeply asleep with his arm draped over her waist securing her to his chest. The warmth basically incubated her as she felt him snuggle into her back all the more, softly muttering her name in his sleep.

A few hours following, Felicity woke again to Oliver's warm breath on her cheek as her skin erupted with goosebumps when he ran the backs of his fingers across her face.

Opening her eyes to see him much closer than she thought him to be, Felicity noticed the look he was giving her and honestly it sent another series of goosebumps over her.

"Thank you"

"For what"

"Everything; finding me again, guiding me home, being there for me, not giving up on me…believing in me"

"Oliver, there's nothing that could ever convince me to stop believing in you. That is something I will always do until my last breath" her words hadn't originally been intending to reach to the depth they had but by Oliver's reaction, she knew everything that went unsaid was being presented loud and clear.

Before he could even respond by kissing her, Thea burst into the room with Roy hot on her heels.

"Guys, you have to see this!"

Frowning at each other they followed the young couple down and outside into the garden.

"Oh my god…it's beautiful"

Outside the garden was covered with a blanket of fresh snow as it continued to snow, the landscape of the houses and trees in the distance barely seen through the falling snow.

"It's a white Christmas!" Felicity beamed as Thea squealed, dragging Roy after her. "It's perfect" she found herself quietly muttering her thought aloud, momentarily forgetting about the man that stood behind her until a pair of strong arms circled around her waist.

"It's the beginning of a new story" leaning back into his warmth, the pair watched the other two playing about in the snow before joining them.

Glancing up at the sky where the heavens laid upon them the gift of Christmas magic, she couldn't help herself but to stick her tongue out and catch and oncoming snowflake.

Looking towards Thea then motioning over to Roy and Oliver, the two woman giggled devishly.

The next second they were hurtling snowballs in the direction of the two men, hitting them both right between the shoulder blades. Turning around slowly, Roy and Oliver smirked at the two women.

"Oh it is on!" laughing the four started a snowball fight, laughing merrily into the day and the future it held for them all.

Who knows what lay on the path ahead but one thing was for sure, for the first time in ages, the Queens were genuinely happy.


	34. Gingerbread

**Okay so I fell in love with this one while writing it, this is most likely going to be one of my favourites. I'm enjoying this far too much for my own good I think. ****  
**

**By the way I challenge 'Alice and Friends' to write a Christmas fanfic about Olicity, let's see what you can come up with. **

**As always hope you enjoyed reading and leave me a review.**

**Thanks x**

The second he entered the house, Oliver heard laughter coming from the kitchen, a sound he had become all too familiar with over the past couple years.

"Mummy, we're home!" Tommy raced into the arms of Felicity as she managed to bend down and open her arms just in time for the little body to collide with her own, something that she had now become a master of. "Oh, is that a gingerbread house!" he squirmed in her hold as she rose to her full height, letting the child see the masterpiece.

"Yep, complete with gingerbread men too! I did those, mummy did the house. What do you think daddy?" Emily grinned in pride at their work, a complete mirror image to her mother with her curly brown locks pulled back into a tight ponytail while her bold purple glasses balanced expertly on her nose.

"I think you both did a fantastic job, but you could've waited until we got back so we could help you guys" Oliver came to place the bags of shopping on one of the kitchen units before picking up his flour-covered daughter.

"Daddy, come on, you can't bake as well as mummy!" Oliver gasped in mock hurt.

"Why, don't beat around the bush about it now" before growling and launching into an attack of tickles, making the young girl burst out in a fit of laughter as she attempted to escape his hold, failing instantly as he brought her all the more closer to his chest. "Take it back"

"NEVER!" continuing to tickle her, Oliver saw in the corner of his eye Felicity whispering into the ear of Tommy, who just smiled devishly, something he had picked up from his father.

Releasing him, Tommy raced over to his father and began tickling his sides, balancing himself on a low stool to reach Oliver's waist.

"Tommy!" Oliver released a deep chuckle as he was forced to put Emily back on the ground again to attempt to defend himself but only ended up on the ground a short time later, both kids filling the kitchen with the sound of their laughter as they relentlessly pursued their father. "Felicity…a little help here!" he tried to get out between laughs.

"Nope, you're on your own to fight this battle alone. You should know by now to never begin something you can't finish" Felicity laughed while watching her husband take on the two little monkeys.

That was always a battle he couldn't fight, no matter how hard he tried, when it came down to Emily and Tommy, he was like a bee to honey.

* * *

"Hey guys, why don't you go upstairs and freshen up while I finish this gingerbread house" Felicity offered a while later.

"Okay mummy!" they both said in unison as they dashed off upstairs, Emily quickly removing her apron before chasing after her brother, reminding her of mini versions of the flash- never let Oliver hear her say that out loud.

"Why is it that you can face bad guys with guns but when it comes to those two, you completely give up?" she asked whilst he found his feet.

Shooting her with a glare, he grinned when he saw her apron after most of the flour had fallen to the floor.

As a joke he had gotten them all a family set of aprons with something written on the front but whenever he looked at Felicity's, he would only be reminded of the greatest decision he ever made.

On the front of her apron read out '#TheQueen'.

Glancing down, Felicity could only smile and shake her head in response. Damn his cheesiness.

Second later she found herself being pulled up against a hard wall of muscle, Oliver's chest rumbling with a low growl, before their mouths collided.

Pulling back when the need of oxygen was too great, Oliver took up her left hand in his as his right hand reached further around her back. Smiling when the light caught the two rings taking up residence on her marriage finger, Oliver just peppered her with multiple kisses before they both drew back and focused on the gingerbread men.

"Really, Jesus, she's just as bad as you" he commented when his eye caught onto the green and two red decorated gingerbread men, a yellow lightning bolt topping off one, making all three very distinguishable.

"Well…you should be honoured, it's not every day your daughter decorates one of her cookies in the form of the Arrow"

"And Arsenal and Flash"

"Aw, looks like you have your first junior fan club" Felicity mocked him.

"I'd watch yourself Queen-" Oliver grumbled out, his 'intimidating' act failing him when the sides of mouth picked up into a hint of a smile.

"Where's the fun in that, besides I'm think I prefer Smoak" Felicity spoke around a smile, slowly walking backwards.

"Not if I have anything to say about it you don't" he snarled playfully before chasing her, catching her in the lounge and dragging her onto one of the couches, landing on top of her. "Always pushing my buttons aren't you _Mrs Queen_"

"One of the best things about being me" tilting her head to the side, like the one she had done when he first walked into her office, but giggling when he began scratching his stubble against her bare neck.

"MUMMY, DADDY, CAN WE WATCH A MOVIE WHILST EATING THE GINGERBREAD!" they both laughed at Emily's voice as she shouted from the kitchen.

"Gee, I wonder where she gets her loud voice from" giving his wife a pointed look, Oliver rose to his feet bringing her with him but not before he dove into another passionate kiss with her.

"I guess we'll never know" Felicity smiled up at her husband before moving them both into the kitchen.

* * *

Twenty minutes later the family settled on the couch, dressed in their pyjamas, with the plate of gingerbread cookies and glasses of milk on the coffee table, ready for snaking as Emily and Tommy lay on their stomachs in front of the 50" ultra HD TV screen with a dinner plate full of cookies alongside glasses of milk within arms' reach.

It didn't take too long for the movie to finish and be replaced by a different one, this time being 'The Flight Before Christmas' in which Emily and Tommy joined their parents on the couch. Emily tucking herself under Felicity's left arm as she leaned on Oliver whilst Tommy sat in his father's lap, the plate of cookies and glass of milk now long gone.

Sharing a look with one another, Oliver brought his free arm round Felicity waist to pull her all the more closer to him, being cautious of his daughter in the process.

* * *

As the credits rolled across the screen, all Queens were fast asleep in each other's embrace.


	35. Buddy

**Alright so I admit this was first inspired by watching Hachi, let me tell you it is _impossible _to get through that damn movie without shedding a single tear and if you do well then you're obviously some kind of weird robot then. I loved writing this and I think I might do one of those 'Adventures of...' in the future, who knows, I just have to come up with the ideas first.  
**

**I can't believe it's 3 days til Christmas day! I'm excited for it I really am. So before I get sidetracked as Felicity normally does, and is so funny to watch btw, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!**

**As always hope you enjoyed reading and leave me a review.**

**Thanks x**

Releasing a low moan of content when a familiar chill ran up her spine as a pair of lips laid a kiss on the dip of her back, Felicity buried her face more into her pillow as she murmured a bunch of words that were partially muffled by the pillow.

"You're still not making me get up"

"Sadly you haven't got a choice in that matter, if I have to put up with a bunch of meetings with mostly people I hate, I need my girl by my side" he laughed as he continued nuzzling up her back, between her shoulder blades and along the nape of her neck.

"I'm infected with a deadly disease so I can't come into work today" shifting away from Oliver and trying to seemingly grab the duvet out of mid-air for it was currently splayed out half on-half off at the bottom of the bed from their nightly activities last night.

Laughing, he took pity on her, pulling himself up so he laid half draped over her back, the way he usually did when she needed him to take the role up as her 'personal furnace'.

"Trust me, if I could stay in bed with you all day I would more than gladly do so but unfortunately that's not the case" when Felicity's body then became motionless, Oliver deterred for his usual backup plan. Leaning in close, he whispered into her ear. "What if I promise the second we get back to do a Walking Dead marathon, just me and you for the whole night?"  
Hearing her continuous breaths stop, he knew she was considering the suggestion and definitely knew that the offer had prevailed when she rolled over onto her back, instantly being greeted by a kiss from Oliver.

"I hate you sometimes"

"Sometimes though, you love to much to hate me all the time" to which he received a glare from his girlfriend as he dove in for another series of kisses, kissing off the glare, turning into laughter.

* * *

Sending Oliver a text saying she was going to go pick up some lunch before leaving her desk and heading for the elevator, Felicity hummed along to one of her favourite Christmas songs as she shifted her coat around her body more, trying to fend off the cold air of winter.

Abruptly a clanking sound caught her attention.

Turning her head down an alleyway to the source of the sound, Felicity's eyes landed on a black figure ruffling through a fallen dustbin.

Stopping in her tracks, Felicity just watched on as the figure hardly even acknowledged her, caring more about finding a scrap of food.

It felt like knives suddenly twisted at her heart watching the poor thing attempt to survive in such harsh conditions.

An idea shone bright in her mind like a light bulb.

Continuing on her path to the shop nearest the takeaway, Felicity picked up a couple sandwiches, a bottle of water and a bowl on her from picking up her own lunch before returning swiftly to the place she saw the stray.

Luckily he hadn't moved far from where she last saw him, now sensing her slowly making her way down the alley but careful not to startle him in any way. Setting up the food and water, keeping the stray's attention the entire time, Felicity left the alley and headed back towards QC but not before peeking back round the corner to see if her offer had been accepted.

Smiling in contentment, Felicity walked back to work with the thought of stray in her mind the entire day.

* * *

To say he was curious to which what the cause of her sudden smile that plastered itself across his girlfriend's face for the duration of the day would be a bit of an understatement but nevertheless returned the smile when she beamed at him through the glass, especially due to the fact of sending him different smiley faces stuck to the bottom of the files she sat on his desk.

* * *

The moment their work day finished, Digg went straight home into the loving arms of his now wife again Lyla with their two year old son Andy while Felicity seemed to be on a mission.

"Oliver, can you do me a favour?" she asked while they were on route back to their townhouse.

"Sure, what's up?"

"You know when I went to pick up my lunch"

"Yeah…Felicity, did something happen?"

"Well nothing bad if that's what you're asking…but nonetheless I met, well technically I didn't exactly meet him, I just saw him in an alleyway and basically before I talk all the way off topic, I saw a stray dog in an alleyway and I'm just curious if he ate the gift I left him"

"Gift" frowning, he tilted his head towards her slightly but kept his main focus on the road.

"Yeah while getting my lunch, I got him something to eat and drink and left it for him. It's near that shop on fifth"

Sighing, Oliver diverted to the left instead of right to pass by the shop in which Felicity was explaining.

* * *

Arriving at the place in question, Oliver turned off the ignition all the while Felicity walked towards the alley where she last saw the dog and breathed a sigh of relief as she spotted the familiar black figure lying in one of the cardboard boxes running along the side of the alley.

Feeling Oliver walk up behind her, she threw him a look over her shoulder and began to approach the stray with Oliver hot on her heels, obviously.

When they were a certain distance away from him, the dog's head perked up and edged further into the box.

"Hey boy, don't worry you're okay, we're not going to hurt you" Felicity spoke tenderly to the dog, whose attention never wavered from her almost as if he recognised her.

A few beats following, his nose started sniffing the air as if smelling her.

Gradually making his way towards Felicity, he skirted towards her and continued sniffing, moving towards her outstretched hand, giving it a small lick before changing to Oliver.

"Hey boy" he followed the path of Felicity, in an attempt to also gain his trust.

* * *

In what seemed like hours the stray found himself all the more closer to the couple still kneeled down on the ground.

Casting Felicity a knowing look when he saw a pair of puppy-dog eyes, Oliver knew instantly what the next words that would come out of her mouth would be.

"Oh come on Oliver, you know you always say that I need extra protection, what's better then my own guard dog? Besides, he'll keep me company in the lair; it always gets lonely down there when you guys aren't there"

"How can I ever possibly say no to you?"

"Because you love me too much" she quoted his earlier words that morning, giving her an exasperated look in response before giving in.

"Fine, fine. But he's not sleeping in the bed though, that's _my _territory" he remarked at the black German shepherd, who was content in Felicity's arms.

"Come on Buddy, let's go home"

"Buddy, huh I like it. Alright Buddy, let's go before you end up claiming the ladder too" Oliver turned and begun out the alley with the sound of his girlfriend's laughter behind him sending a smile erupting across his face before he could make a move to avoid the action.

* * *

It turned out that Buddy was born to fall in love with Felicity.

No matter where it was Buddy would always be near Felicity, well apart from at night in the bed although sometimes on cold nights Oliver couldn't resist letting him sleep between the two of them _and sometimes it wasn't even cold at night_.

Digg, Thea and Roy both fell in love with Buddy also and even went so far to keep a dog bed beside Felicity's desk whenever he came down at night with Felicity.

Buddy was sometimes like a mini version of Oliver, always keeping an eye on Felicity and being protective of her it made Digg Thea and Roy laugh sometimes.

* * *

Felicity and Thea had gone shopping for Buddy, with him beside Felicity of course, and had bought a dark olive green dog collar with golden bones decorating the outside, topped off by an arrow dog tag with all Buddy's need-to-know details carved into the metal.

* * *

One night, while Oliver's out on last minute Arrow duty, Felicity's sat on her bed watching TV with Buddy lying beside her with his head resting on her stomach; suddenly his head shoots up along with his ears.

Before she could even open her mouth to speak, a crashing sound reverberates around the house putting her on high alert.

Jumping off the bed and moving silently to the closet where she hid her baseball bat, tucking herself close to the wall so if anyone came into the bedroom see wouldn't be in their line of sight as Buddy stood with his head lowered to the floor in a typical about-to-attack position.

Tightening her shaking hands around the handle of the bat, Felicity listened as footsteps steadily approached the bedroom but no crashing followed. They were probably checking the house for any inhabitants before actually stealing anything.

With her heart in her throat as the footsteps drew nearer and nearer until they were practically beside her, she held her breath and waited for what happened next.

The next events happened in mere seconds after what seemed like a lifetime of waiting.

The man turned the corner into the bedroom and once Felicity caught a split second sight of his profile and knew it wasn't anyone she knew, she lunged and swung the bat.

Landing the blow to the back of his head, she sent him flying into the wall along with a grunt of pain.

"YOU BITCH!" the man shouted with anger and went to hit her but didn't come anywhere near her as Buddy collided with him, knocking him off balance and crashing back into the floor once again but this time with sharp canines encasing around his right arm, making him squirm about in an attempt to get away but failed in getting nowhere.

Taking the opportunity to swing at him again, Felicity managed to knock him out, his head going with the momentum and slamming into the metal bedpost.

The sound of a another set of footsteps coming up behind her through the hallway caused Felicity to swivel around and sending the bat flying once again but a hand caught the bat, stopping any further attacks in the process and giving Felicity the chance to look at his profile.

"Oliver" she said on an exhale as his eyes travelled up her body, checking for any injuries after seeing the damage to the front door, Felicity gave him a nod to give him a piece of mind then setting his sights on the man with his arm still in Buddy's teeth.

"Good boy Buddy, go to Liz" Oliver whispered to the shepherd laying him hand on his shoulders, who automatically obeyed and went to Felicity's side, nuzzling her hand as it lay limp at her side. "I'm calling Dig...Buddy, watch him"

Within seconds Oliver had left and returned with the phone in his hand, calling Digg.

* * *

"I told you he'd protect me" Felicity whispered as her head rested atop her boyfriend's chest, his arm locked about her waist as Buddy slept at their feet, his eyes trained on the door.

"Don't get smug about it now; I knew he'd protect you but not as much as I would"

"Really, so you'd attack the man with your teeth?" she said amused, raising her head off his chest.

"I don't mean like that and you know it", came his response as he tugged her back down again.

"Ah, are you jealous of Buddy?"

"No…pfft, what are you talking about?" he frowned. "But I'm glad he protected you tonight, and especially when Wayne and Palmer tried to come near you, that was hilarious just seeing the looks on their faces"

"Yeah and when he only let you pass by him, like I said a mini version of you"

"I do not snarl at people"

"Yes you do, especially when they try and _steal me away from you_ as you so gloriously put it"

"And just to think that if you hadn't have come into work that day, none of this would've happened and he won't be here with us right now. Wasn't it worth it in the end?"

Laughing, Felicity nodded as it was true.

* * *

The following year when Felicity and Oliver exchanged vows, Buddy was right by Felicity's side throughout the ceremony as the ring bearer while Thea took up the role of maid of honour, Diggle walking Felicity down the aisle and Roy being Oliver's best man.

Buddy even had a place right beside the honeymooners as they enjoyed the newly married life with their new partner in Rome.

* * *

Years later gurgles and the usual sound of pitter-patters of feet could be heard from the living room as Felicity stood in the doorway, two strong arms banding around her waist as her husband soon joined her in observing Buddy with their five month old daughter Mackenzie.

Buddy had welcomed Mackenzie into the world along with her father, auntie and two uncles definitely intrigued by the little bundle of joy.

"Yep definitely worth it" Felicity whispered back to Oliver as Buddy sensed their presence and began barking at them in joy as he always did no matter how much he aged, Mackenzie throwing giggles in the direction of her parents.

Soon both parents joined the pair on the carpet watching the franchise of Toy Story movies.

* * *

Who knew that by one simple act of kindness from Felicity would gain them a lifelong friend who remained loyal until the day he passed, surrounded by those of whom he loved and was loved by, and in a place he had been able to call home for many happy years.

Felicity cried into Oliver's shoulder, who just wrapped his arms around his wife understanding how painful this truly was after so many years of sharing that bond with Buddy, as Mackenzie, who was now in her teenage years, buried her face in her mother's chest with sobs wracking her body.

Roy held Thea as she quietly broke down in his arms, Lyla and Sara wrapped up in Diggle's arms.

The men attempted to pull a brave face until they reached safe ground where they too burst into tears as their partner now laid buried with Sara and Tommy.

* * *

Memories were still shared of Buddy, of how Felicity found him roaming the streets looking for survival in the lowest of places, of how he saved her life in response several times in fact, of how he reserved a place in the Queen family and never again did he have to live another life on the streets.

Buddy died a happy as he found love in people who loved him without limits and shared a life full of life's next surprise, like the birth of Mackenzie Dearden Queen for example.

All in all, Buddy's true life first begun because of a simple act of love, just in time for Christmas, so actually it was a Christmas wish come true.


	36. Linked

**And just like that Christmas is over and onto the New Year, it seems like Christmas has this massive build up then just zooms by at the speed of light, blink and it's gone. Anyways I hope you all enjoyed your Christmases and the presents you got along with the quality time with your family- mine was interesting to say the least, fun interesting though, brothers get weirder every year I swear. Sadly though that's the end of the Christmas fanfics- though I may upload one of two more because why the hell not.**

**Before I slip into the depths of my own mind- an astonishing yet bizarre place -back onto the main point!**

**So with this one I was watching a game play of it and my mind seemed to have a lot of fun connecting it with Oliver and Felicity so honestly, I have no idea where I was going with it but nevertheless I hope you enjoy but I think this might remain a one shot though I'm not quite sure yet.  
**

**As usual, leave a review and tell me your thoughts. **

**Thanks x**

To be entirely honest she didn't quite know how all of this happened.

Ever since she was younger she'd been able to do things that most normal kids couldn't even dream of doing, she knew she was different but she never knew to what extent that went to.

It scared the living daylights out of her mother, so much so that whenever possible she worked as hard as she could to get out of the house leaving Felicity all on her own. It was mainly from that point on that she'd kept him a secret.

A secret only she knew anything about because she wasn't quite sure what would happen if anybody ever found out. It terrified her, the fact that she was the victim of all this and the worst part of it was that _nobody could save her_; she was all on her own with him.

"Felicity!" Oliver's outburst made her flinch and swivel round in her chair to face him "Are you okay, you seem distant"

"Hmm…oh yeah I'm fine, well not fine-fine believe me there is a difference there…anyways yes I'm okay" she couldn't help the mini ramble that escaped her mouth but it seemed to give Oliver a sense of relief.

Weird

"If you say so…alright Roy, remember; breathe, aim, release"

Roy was practicing with his bow and arrows, he was nowhere as good as Oliver was but then again he hadn't been through the same training as Oliver has and nowhere near as long either.

Taking his aim at the target hanging a couple metres ahead of him, Roy followed his mentor's instructions and he release the arrow.

It didn't even touch the target.

Instead it bounced off a metal pipe and towards the monitors, where a certain blonde was sat unaware of the events happening behind her.

"FELICITY DUCK" Oliver yelled at the back of the blonde's head.

The next event that happened, nobody had ever expected to occur.

When Felicity heard Oliver shouting at her, she spun round to see what the hell was happening and her breath caught in her throat.

The arrow was hovering right in front of her face right in front of her eyes before dropping to the floor with a clatter.

She was too afraid to move, her heart pounding in her chest as her eyes slowly scanned the rest of the team's stunned expressions. Uh oh

It was the nudge at her back that snapped her back and caused her to bolt towards the stairs leaving a trail of still shocked team members in her wake.

All she could think about was how thankful she was for deciding to wear converses and a pair of tracksuit bottoms that morning but also about getting as far as she could from any opposing questions.

"FELICITY, WAIT!" Oliver's voice registered behind her but she didn't care, she needed to get as far away as possible. She couldn't go home because they would know where she was, she needed to divert to somewhere else.

The night loomed over her like a shadow and if she didn't possess a certain secret then she wouldn't be running through the city at this time for the fear of what kind of people would be out there but honestly _they should be scared of her_.

She can still hear Oliver's frantic screaming of her name trying desperately to call her back to him, to keep her safe but nobody knew that no matter where she went, she would never be safe. She's been doing this whole thing for far too long to even so much as consider the word safe.

His voice whispered to her, directing her on which path to take and before she knew it he was leading her to one of the abandoned buildings in the outskirts of Starling City. Felicity didn't need to be told on what procedure to take, she knew it like the back of her hand.

Get to the highest possible point so everything was forced to come directly at her, giving her the upper advantage over them.

Rushing up the staircase, Felicity never once stopped running.

The amount of time she'd spent running without being able to look over her shoulder was like a sickening version of home to her because it's the only thing she'd ever known since she was younger.

Night time always scared her the most, because that's when the true monsters came out to play.

Ever since she was a young child, she'd been haunted and even attacked relentlessly by the horrific creatures that nobody but she could see and the worst part about it?

Only _he _could.

She didn't even know why or how but it didn't matter, as long as they were both safe and together they would be able to fight.

Gasping for oxygen, Felicity stood on the highest point of the building as she looked out on the city and the haunting nightmares it held but not a soul knew about, until she arrived five years ago.

"Felicity!" Oliver's voice caused her to spin round to face the man she trusted with her life but could never trust with her secret for the fear that it would slowly consume him and plague his life in even more darkness than ever, darkness she was old friends with.

"Oliver…please, don't come any closer" she tried desperately but he never stopped stepping cautiously towards her.

She didn't want him to get too close to her because who knows what would happen to him is she let him in all the way, if she let her guard down.

Felicity had never once known herself to have regretted something as much as she did now with accepting to join Team Arrow. She thought she could keep it a secret. She thought that they would never have to know, that it would just be the original duo to battle through but that moment Roy's arrow had come to a complete halt in front of her, there was nothing she could say that wouldn't raise suspicion.

But would they even believe her if she told them? Would they still treat her the same? Would they look at her in the same light that they had always done?

"Felicity, I don't understand…please tell me what the hell is going on" not for a long time had she seen Oliver's face look so broken, it hurt, since it was _her fault_.

"I…can't…it'll hurt you too" right then she didn't care if her voice sounded like a scared child.

"Felicity, we can help you…you know that…right?"  
Holding her breath, she began frantically shaking her head.

"Nobody can help me…I'm on my own, I've always been on my own" she partially whispered.

"No! Felicity I'm here for you, I'm always going to here for you…please just, let me in"

His voice was there again, telling her to run but only did Oliver block the path but there was a part of her that just couldn't run from him anymore, she didn't _want _to run anymore it was all she knew when she had grown up and she was damn sick of it.

Why did he have to choose _here _to direct her? He'd led her straight to a dead end.

"I can't do that to you…to the team"

"You've always been there for me, for everyone else…for once, let us return the favour"

"Oliver, this is something nobody can fight, not even me…I'm just the victim in all this"  
"You're _not _a victim Felicity; I will never let anything hurt you…even if it means my own life in the process"

Just when she opened her mouth to speak, a whistling sent shivers racing up her spine. They were here. A tingling feeling embraced her and she knew he was ready to help, ready to protect her from them.

Then she saw them.

Darkness never moved like they did, they moved strategically, mindful of their next step.

"Felicity, what is it?" not once did he stop walking towards her, coming to stand right in front of her.

The tingling feeling turned into a powerful force and Felicity felt a bolt of protectiveness for Oliver flare inside her.

Without any means of hesitation, she threw herself towards the man stood in front of her; she tackled him to the ground and covered his body with her own.

The screeching sound was like living a nightmare, she was petrified.

That was the sound she heard before she was attacked when she was younger. She couldn't help the way her body shook with fear that was something that had always been there no matter how much she fought against it that fear would always be present throughout.

Keeping his head beneath her own, Felicity looked up to see a shield of blue light surround them both. He was helping in the only way he knew possible without leaving both of them defenceless against them.

* * *

Oliver had no clue what was happening when Felicity had thrown herself on top of him, guarding him from something but from the way he felt her entire body turn rigid whatever it was wasn't good in any way. From the way her form never ceased to shake, whatever she was defending him from scared her as much as it did with him possibly even more.

When he heard a sound worse than nails against a chalkboard, his hands came up to cover his ears and muffle the noise.

He trusted her to keep them both safe but his curiosity was too much.

Lifting his head to see what scene was playing out above them, the first he was met by was some sort of blue light around them and from the looks of it was blocking out the dark that moving in a strange way.

Darkness didn't move like that.

What the hell was going on and how was Felicity a part of all this?

Felicity knew what would happen if they stayed in one place for too long. This was just going to worsen; they had to get out of here right now.

"We need to move, _now_!" Felicity yelled over the sound of the screeching, desperate to move away from it.

Rising to her feet she began pushing Oliver to run, breaking into a run they headed for the stairs but the darkness came after them.

Oliver knew from experience that when you're in a situation like their current one, to never shout or call out but only to boot it to safety.

Letting his instincts kick in, Oliver reached behind him and tightly grasped her hand in his and tugged her along with his strides, closing up the distance between them and the exit. Oliver full on legged-it as it their lives depended on it and it most likely did.

There was something Felicity wasn't telling him and he didn't like it one bit, especially when it had the opportunity to hurt her in such a way.

* * *

Living her life, Felicity had done this way too many times. Running, running from things, from people that tried to hurt her, wanted to use her ability to their advantage, threatened them both but now she had hauled not only Oliver but the team into it too.

Why couldn't she just have walked away from them all? None of this would be happening right now.

Knowing the team, they wouldn't stop interrogating her until she confessed the real truth.

She heard them screeching, threats from all directions, calling her back to them. They would catch up to them all if she didn't do something now.

So she did the first thing that came to mind.

Felicity yanked her hand free from Oliver's grasp while shoving him with a sudden strength, she didn't even know she had, in the right direction whilst she turned on her heel and sprinted in a completely different direction with _them _following just behind her thankfully taking absolutely no interest in Oliver, who came to an instant halt and stared after her in shock.

"FELICITY, NO!" Oliver's voice was frantic once again but she took no notice of it or him as she continued forward at a run not daring herself to falter in her movements for it could mean her end, one mistake and she was finished.

Feeling a cold spike against her ankle, she knew what was about to happen. Her chance slipped away in a blink of an eye.

The world around her whizzed past at the speed of light, leaving her disorientated. Diving head first into the concrete, Felicity felt the pain erupt across her wrist as it took the brunt of the impact.

Biting off a shriek of pain currently rising in her throat, she focused on getting up but she knew it was too late for her.

Pain coursed through her leg, bringing feelings of knives slicing her skin open with it as she felt herself being drug into the shadows.

Not being able to bite the pain off anymore, she yelped as he came to her aid.

Glancing down, Felicity witnessed the blood staining her tracksuit bottoms, steadily rising up the expanse of her leg. Fortunately for her the adrenaline fuelling her system was crashing into her like heavy waves against the cliff side, giving her the advantage and she grabbed onto it.

Forcing herself up to her feet, Felicity limped-ran across the grounds towards anywhere away from the terror that remained behind her current position.

Feeling her body being suddenly swept up from the ground, it didn't take a genius to figure out who it was.

"Hold on" the panic was already present in his voice as Oliver dashed towards his bike but she feared that she wouldn't be able to hold onto the last shred of hope as nightfall began to enclose around her, followed by the striking series of pain shocking her skull.

The last word she managed to whisper was directed off towards the place they had just escaped from as she blindly reached out.

"Aiden"

It didn't take long for the darkness to consume her.


	37. Mine

**I honestly found this somewhere in my Documents and decided to upload it. **

**Enjoy and as always, leave a review and tell me your thoughts.**

**Thanks x**

"Why in the world did I sign up for this?" Felicity muttered to herself as her girlfriends all but shoved her into the dressing rooms.

Several of her girlfriends from Vegas had visited Starling for a couple weeks and the first thing they had persuaded her to take part in was a bachelorette auction party, in which they would be taking part in also- by Felicity's argument stating that if they didn't, she wouldn't.

She had primarily met them back in high school a couple of years ago; Molly Anderson, Rebekah Jackson, Riley Taylor, Rochelle White and Mae Young.

"Because otherwise you'll have to do another forfeit like the ones back in Vegas!" Riley called out as she pushed a pile of dresses varying in length and colour into Felicity's hands. "Besides, isn't this supposed to be for charity, come on it'll be fun for us to see just what kind of men are around Starling now-a-days"

"Hey Lissy, what about that Queen man you used to gossip about over the phone, is he coming or not?" Rebekah was grinning, even if Felicity couldn't see her, she knew that voice when she heard it.

"No he's not, we're in the middle of yet another argument all because we couldn't agree on something, which in my defence is completely moronic he doesn't see it"

"I'm not even going to ask, you might fall into yet another babble again" Molly smiled from the changing room beside Felicity's.

"Oh shut up Mo" Felicity replied, laughing as her phone pinged.

"Hey Liz who's _Digg_ and why do you owe him" Mae called out from the main room where she had left her bag.

"He's Oliver's bodyguard and he's a good friend, he probably means that he's taking the brunt of Oliver's anger right now"

"Do you want me to answer since he's now calling right now?" Rochelle called out, not waiting for a response before picking up the call. "Hello"

"Rochelle! Stop, no, give me the phone!" Felicity jumped out of the changing rooms and snatched her phone from where the other blonde gave her a smirk.

"Felicity, who was that and where are you"

"That was Rochelle, one of my girlfriends from Vegas; they're visiting for a couple weeks and already being _completely irritating_ and I'm not going to tell you where we are because you might tell Oliver and I do not want to see him right now"

"Which is understandable, you do owe me though; he's already broken four dummies in the lair already. What exactly happened with you two today?"

"We had a disagreement today about me coming with him to the next meeting in Russia, and he just erupted as usual so I'm not taking the blame for this one. If he wants to apologise to me, he's got my number and he knows where I live so he can move his own damn ass and come and find me and talk to me himself, so don't you even dare begin to apologise for him"

"Alright, alright. I agree none of this is your fault, you know what he's like but you also know what he's like without your help with business missions. He just prefers being targeted by bullets and arrows than business deals to be frank. Anyways, just checking in with you, enjoy your time with your girlfriends and say hi from me…._fine_, and Roy apparently who needs to back the hell away from me right now before I send him flying onto his ass on the mats"

"Say hi to Roy for me, thank you for checking in and I'll catch you later today probably"

"See ya"

"Alright, now that I've got all your attention, the aim for this evening is to blow those poor buggers away with our sexiness, alright ladies you know what to do…even you Liz, let go for one night"

"One night fine"

With that the search for the perfect dress for the event later on tonight was on.

* * *

"Ladies and Gentlemen, can I have your attention!" the announcer spoke over the murmurs of the crowd as the sound of the speakers caught everyone's attention. "Now I'd like to introduce the next series of bachelorettes for the auction this evening, the money in which will be donated to our week's charity being Cancer Research. Gentlemen, get your wallets ready to have the night of your life with any one of these girls of your choosing"

The crowd of people were now sat in front of the stage, their beverages set within arm's reach as their eyes diverted to the man with the microphone.

"First up is Rebekah Jackson wearing a beautiful short, red halter-neck dress that is sure to capture all those eyes out there ready for a good time tonight" the man with the microphone commented as Rebekah strode onto the stage and winked at someone in the front row of the audience, eyes trained on the cut out in the front of her dress, a feature Felicity swore she knew would make her stand out.

"Second up is Mae Young wearing an attractive short black deep V-neck, open back dress that is definitely sure to keep your interest throughout the night, finishing off with a bang at the end of the night" up went Mae who waltzed onto the stage and stood beside Rebekah, who swished hips with each other, gaining cheers from the crowd.

"Next up is Molly Anderson wearing a crystal beaded red chiffon open back red dress that is so simply stunning that your eyes won't be able to handle the sight but be my guest, are you up for the challenge?" standing by the other two girls who all linked arms with each other, laughing as the man with the microphone spoke cheesy words.

"Up next is Riley Taylor wearing a sweetheart open back sequined party dress that is so fun, I wonder what she'll be up to for the remainder of the night" all four girls linked with Riley's arm as they began swaying to the music that played in the background.

"Up next is Rochelle White wearing a hot pink halter cocktail, open back dress that you will just adore to have beside you as you rock through the night" Rochelle gladly joined up with the other four girls, lengthening the chain as they waited on Felicity to make her appearance.

"Last but certainly not least is Felicity Smoak, who is just rocking a striking black sheath sequined halter V-neck open back that is sure to command every man's attention in the room, well we definitely know how she got the name 'Smoak' cuz' she is smoking hot!"

As Felicity breezed onto the stage and fused hips with the rest of her girlfriends, in her peripheral vision she caught sight of the entrance in which the familiar form of a man had just waltzed in through and was now locking eyes with her on stage.

Oh crap, Oliver.

_How the hell did he know where I'd be _her thoughts spiralled out as his jaw clenched at the sight of her onstage.

"Now, let the auction begin!"

* * *

Minutes passed by in seconds as Rebekah, Mae, Molly, Riley and Rochelle were all auctioned off to the highest bidder, all of them seemingly pleased with their results before the man with the microphone finally moved onto Felicity, who remained linked to her friends.

"And now, who will you be accompanying this evening Felicity? Let's begin at 200!"

Felicity watched in shock, and slight panic, as men frantically yelled out bid after bid, the price rising to at least nine thousand.

"9,000, do I hear 10,000!"

Her eyes scanned the bidders. The one that was currently racing by the rest was nobody other than Bruce Wayne as the other man trailed behind, whom she recognised to be Ray Palmer.

"11,000 for Bruce Wayne, going once, going twice-"

"11,500!" a new but all too familiar voice rung out, _this wasn't going to be ending well_.

Oliver was currently sending an arrow worthy glare at Bruce Wayne as Digg, Roy, Thea, Tommy and Sara stood behind him, sending a smile Felicity's way as their hands covered their mouths, shoulders shaking in silent laughter as the known pose of Arrow was shown on perfect display by none other than Oliver, topped off by fists.

This _unquestionably_ was not going to be ending well.

"11,500 going once, going twic-"

"12,000!"Bruce Wayne jumped from his seat.

"14,000!" Oliver's final voice reverberated throughout the room as multiple gasps filled the air, including Felicity's and that of her girlfriends.

"14,000 going once, going twice…sold! Sold to Mr. Queen for 14,000!" the man with the microphone ended the auction.

Looking over at Oliver he hadn't seemed to have taken his gaze off her since the second he'd originally seen her on the stage, besides glaring at the other men of course, but now his gaze looked almost _predatory_.

"Alright men, come and get 'em"

Not waiting another second, Oliver and the other men strode onstage towards their date for the evening, a strong arm pulling her into a plank of muscle- a plank she knew way too well –sending a chill up her spine but still Felicity refused to look to her side at her _date_.

"Well, I sincerely hope you enjoy your dates ladies and gentleman. Please, give them a big hand, for there may be love in the air for our couples tonight, who knows what the future will present"

If she had turned her complete attention towards the rest of the group still stood at the back, Felicity would've noticed how their laughter just increased all the more when the announcer spoke the words 'possible love in the air', _not helping anything in the doing_.

Leading her off the stage, Oliver instantly diverted the two straight over to the now reasonably-sized group of friends sitting on the stools near the exit. She realised that Laurel and Nyssa had joined the small group that were so far into their silent fits of laughter their faces were tilting into the region of bright tomato-red, not boosting her confidence at all.

"Did you plan this out or something or is Ollie's timing really that good?" Thea shot Felicity a smirk, being rewarded with a glare almost Arrow worthy.

"Nope but we might've had something to do with that" came a voice from over her shoulder, Mae's face highlighting a big smile with her phone perched solidly in the palm of her hand.

"Wait, did you text him?"

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't…I regret nothing, you two look absolutely adorable together, like you were made for one another"

"Mae, one of these days I'm going to kill you in your sleep and I won't even blink once"

"Aw, love you too Liz….now I have a hot date to get to" she said, clapping her hands together like she was conducting an experiment.

"Revenge is going to be so sweet"

"I think you've been spending way too much time with Queen" Nyssa smiled as her arm came around Sara's waist, pulling her into a quick but promise-full kiss, in which Oliver replied in a smile.

"Come on I believe I owe you a date, which we will be starting right now" tightening the grip already held on her hip.

"Just try to keep it PG alright, remember the media's always watching!" Tommy's voice called out as the two made their way out of the building.

* * *

By the end of the night Oliver couldn't stop looking at Felicity and vice versa so the moment they made it to Felicity's house, that PG warning went straight out the window alongside the 'just friends' crap they'd been trying to sell to not only themselves but to their friends also.

What they didn't know was that back at Verdant, the team were already celebrating, the song 'Hallelujah' playing across the main speakers as they all danced with their partner.

All in all, it was one hell of a night.


	38. A Call Away

**I honestly think I'm just in love with the idea of pregnant Felicity fanfics, so there may be more of these in the future but hey no promises though. This one came to mind while watching a comedy and I thought it would just be quite humerous for Oliver to find out about Felicity being in labour in the way he did. **

**And as always, please leave a review and tell me your thoughts. Plus if you have any other pregant Felicity fanfic ideas, send them in, I'm more than happy to write them. **

**Thanks x**

"Oh how's that fair on the kid?" Felicity exclaimed at the rotten man on the Jeremy Kyle Show, one of her favourite programs since the beginning of her pregnancy, as he obviously fake-cried to Jeremy about his own life being full of problems and being an alcoholic and/or druggie made it much easier to cope with.

Absolute bull if you asked her.

Felicity was currently sat on her couch in the living room watching the TV because honestly what else is a pregnant woman supposed to do while waiting for the baby to 'pop' as Roy just loves to put it. Oliver hadn't left her alone since he originally found out while watching one of his favourite series on TV sitting cuddled up against his beloved wife so since tonight was basically the only night he'd leave her alone for (his words), she was going to make the most out of the few hours while her husband was 'Arrowed up' and kicking arse out in Starling.

Thea had already texted her a couple minutes ago stating that the 'next time' she got pregnant, keep Oliver near her at every possible second because without Felicity there beside him, he's _dreadful._

"This is just downright appalling. Trust me when I say this, both your mummy and daddy are going to keep you far away from people like this Rachel" Felicity caressed her swollen belly with such love while speaking in low voices to her daughter that was due any day now.

Both she and Oliver had found out they were having a daughter, after Oliver promptly nearly fainted from the words _his daughter_ being said aloud, earlier in the year and the team had laughed when they said Oliver would be wrapped around her little finger.

Of course Felicity already knew that this was going to happen the second Oliver held the little bundle in his arms.

Felicity was about to commence shouting at the TV again when suddenly a piercing pain shot through her abdomen, she knew what was happening- you didn't have to be a genius to know.

"OW! That hurt. Okay, okay, you're ready to come out baby? Alright, we can do this, urgh now I have to call your father. _This is not going to be ending well_" Felicity muttered in low term to herself before reaching to the coffee table for her phone Oliver had conveniently placed in front of her so that it was in arm's reach from her.

However, one of the aspects she didn't expect to have to contend with was the now agonising pain raging in her abdomen halting her efforts to get to the phone and instead had her on her back, legs spread wide and breathing slow and deep breaths constantly.

"Alright, we're okay, we're okay. Just need to somehow get to the phone and call Oliver, or anybody for that matter" when her response was another contraction hitting her hard, Felicity flung her head back onto the arm cushion with a partly muffled cry. "Come on Felicity, come on, you fought much worse and scarier than giving birth, you can do this" Felicity muttered to herself again, psyching herself up to grab her phone.

Successfully pulling off the quick manoeuvre, another contraction hit as she waited for Oliver to pick up.

By this point Felicity knew that she was in labour and too far deep to be able to get taken to the hospital, this was going to have to be a home birth but the part that scared her most was giving birth on her own.

"…focus…need towels" muttering yet again under her breath as she waddled her way towards the downstairs bathroom and retrieved as many towels as she thought she would end up needing, definitely one for wrapping her daughter up in but mainly they were for the blood since she didn't really want to bleed on their couch- it would such a bitch to remove later on.

"Felicity, are you alright?" from the sounds in the background, Felicity recognised that he was in the foundry with probably the rest of the team being Diggle, Lyla, Roy, Thea (they had told her about their 'nightly activities' a couple months ago while she and Oliver were still dating), Laurel, Ted (still don't know why they invited him into the group), Barry, Caitlin and most likely Cisco also. "Felicity, please talk to me"

"I'm fine, I'm fine…we're both fine. Just…don't freak out on me okay?" silence met her after Oliver agreed to her terms and the team had probably heard Oliver's words and shut up, waiting on the news.

"What is it?"

"…I'm in labour and right now I can't move from this house, it's going to have to be a home birth"

"WHAT! YOU'RE IN LABOUR!" rushed footsteps now almost deafened her since she had put the phone on speaker and was now lying back on the couch over the spread towels. "Why didn't you call me sooner?"

"I thought it was…OW…just contractions like the past weeks, nothing new but obviously I was wrong about that" she ended up growling through the pain, teeth clenched together.

"Alright, we're not far away, we'll be there as soon as we can. Just keep breathing and stay on the phone" Oliver was panicking and it was evident in his voice.

"What do you think I'm doing right now?" lurching forward as quite a painful series of contractions hit her; she managed to hold herself together.

"You're okay Felicity, you'll be okay" she heard Lyla's voice in the background. "You'll know when to start pushing; we'll be there for the main birth hold on and get yourself as comfortable as you can"

"I'm on the couch…towels practically everywhere…ARGH…_GOD FREAKING DAMMIT_ THAT HURT!"

"Breathe, just breathe" Oliver spoke the usual calm and soothing voice he used with her but this had an edge of fear and panic.

Just as the words were said over the phone, the song 'Breathe' by Ryan Star played on the TV during one of the shows that were still playing on, getting her to laugh out loud at the irony of it.

"What's so funny?" Barry and Roy asked in unison.

"Ryan Star's song, Breathe, just started playing when Oliver said to breathe"

Laughing registered over the speaker before the pain returned.

"She's coming" Felicity announced over the phone for her husband.

"You can do this Felicity, you're strong and I believe in you to bring our daughter into the world, just keep pushing we're almost there now"

Swallowing the pain, Felicity linked both arms beneath her thighs and interlocked her fingers and kept her breathing rate as normal as she could manage. Thinking about all the fights they've been through as a team, as a family, she knew in every bit of her being that she would be able to deliver her daughter even though even with the team there this was her battle to fight alone.

"…Felicity, we'll be there in two minutes. How far are you along?" Caitlin's voice spoke.

What were they in the van? That was most likely the best answer, knowing that they would all probably want to be here to help her through the birth.

Oliver, Diggle, Lyla, Roy, Thea, Laurel, Ted, Barry, Caitlin and Cisco would end up piling into hers and Oliver's house but that was a thought she would think about afterwards, right now eyes on her baby.

"….she's close, most likely the moment you get here she'll be partially born. So far things are looking good, she's strong and healthy" Felicity announced again and hopefully calming her husband, that was undoubtedly seething to just jump out and sprint the rest of the way here.

"Well she is your daughter so that is to be expected" Laurel laughed, along with the rest of the team. "She's a fighter just like her parents"

* * *

Felicity was correct though. The moment in which the team practically tumbled in together- if she wasn't giving birth in that moment she would've laughed at the sight of it -Felicity continued like they weren't even there until Oliver, Digg, Thea and Lyla entered her vision. Oliver promptly rushing to his wife's side.

"You're doing fantastic Felicity! Especially that this is your first time" Thea cheered her on, a massive smile erupting across her face and she and Lyla took over at the actual birthing of her daughter while Oliver and Digg both held one of her thighs back and clutching her hand in their own. Caitlin encouraged her on while preparing the scissors ready to cut the umbilical cord. Ted and Laurel were at Felicity's head dabbed a flannel to her sweat-clad brow while Barry and Roy were ready with the towels to wrap up Rachel in.

Even then they all worked simultaneously as a team to deliver the newest member of both the Queens and Arrow family.

* * *

Rachel Dearden Queen was delivered to her loving parents on the night of Sara's passing, which didn't go unnoticed by anyone. As the day of Felicity's release from her overnight stay at the hospital came, Felicity visited both Sara's and Tommy's graves so her friends could see Rachel, who was fast asleep in her mother's arms.

Oliver came up behind her, wrapping his arms round them both and pulled them back further into his embrace.

"They both will be able to see us all from where they are. I doubt they would miss it for the world" Oliver whispered into his wife's ear as his head came to rest on her shoulder to look down at his daughter. "Just one more thing though"

"What's that?"

"No more over-the-phone births, next time when the day comes I'm refusing to leave your side" he growled lightly into her neck, making her laugh slightly but managing to keep it on low key to not wake their sleeping daughter. "Come on, let's go home"

"You know for what's it worth, I believe that they were both with me during Rachel's birth. All the way through"

"I believe they were, I don't think either of them would want to miss that"

Tucking Felicity into his side with an arm firmly around her waist, Oliver walked the three of them out of the cemetery and towards the car waiting for them outside.

* * *

What they both missed though were the two people stood off to the side, standing side by side.

"Come on a bet's a bet. I told you she'd have a baby after three years of marriage" Sara smirked at Tommy's eye rolling.

"Fine show off"

"It's not showing off, it's called knowing the true light of Ollie's life"

With that they faded into the midnight sky with smiles on their faces, happiness gleaming off them for the sight of Oliver Queen truly in peace.


	39. Heaven is Chocolate

**I've found out what my top favourite Olicity fanfics are, domestic ones with Oliver and Felicity just being together and being happy- I don't care how sappy I sound right now, it's true dammit! Send in a review and tell me your top favourite kind of Olicity fanfics. **

**Anyways here's another one for you guys, I think I might aim to get to like 100 different chapters of the collection of Tropes and see what happens from there. **

**As usual, please leave a review and tell me your thoughts! Prompts always welcome!**

**Thanks x**

Honestly if one of her friends saw her right now, they would most likely die in laughter because this very second Felicity's currently covered head to toe (luckily except her hair) in flour.

Being dressed in preparation for this level of mess, Felicity wore a pair of her old running trousers and an old shirt of an ex-boyfriend (he never would've needed it anyways, it was the one thing she kept from that relationship) as she made her way round the kitchen with such finesse, if only she was able to physically look that way as well then we'd have a winner right here right now.

On Saturday morning Felicity had woken up with the urge to get up and do something, what though she wasn't sure so she had rifled around her townhouse for something to do and came across a recipe she had kept back from MIT, how to make a mouth-watering chocolate cake. Selecting clothes she didn't actually cared about if they got dirty and covered in ingredients, Felicity had got to work and now the process was a short sprint to the finish line.

* * *

As knocking caught her attention off of her current task, Felicity didn't even dare take a peek at herself in the mirror on the hallway wall for fear it might show something she wouldn't be overly pleased about, as she moved to answer the door.

Throwing open her front door, Felicity was met by the broad figure of none other than Oliver Queen. On her doorstep, in the middle of the weekend, what the hell was he doing here?

"Oliver?"

"Um…hi, what's the cause for this theme?" he smirked down at her as he took in the flour covered, well _everything_.

"Oh ha, ha so funny…if you must know, I'm baking alright, I was bored and didn't have anything else to do so why the hell not. So what's the cause for the surprise visit?" crossing her arms over her chest, Felicity blocked out all thoughts of hospitals, especially when it came to hospital kisses.

She and Oliver had been practically dancing around each other following the events of Sara Diggle's birth and Sara Lance's death, which hadn't been easy on any of them. But the main thing that hadn't been easy on either one of them, the fact that in every possible second that the other wasn't looking their way, they would sneak in a meaningful gaze in their direction wishing something more had happened that night than the explosion, something more intimate instead.

Also ignoring how Oliver's eyes were running over her body and taking in her choice of clothing, Felicity focused on the main picture of this little visit.

"Well I had the entire weekend off for the first time in God knows how long and didn't know what to do with it. Digg's spending time with Lyla and Sara for a weekend getaway and Roy's off being Roy, which I always worry about as much as the next person so I wondered if you wanted some company…and apparently it seems you're having so much fun anyway" Oliver stated, shrugging his shoulders and relaxing his posture, something he could only do with Felicity.

"Uh huh, you wanted to spend time with me and my…" taking a glance back at her kitchen where she knew wouldn't be a good idea with a certain Queen in the middle of, especially since it's taken the form of being hit by a bomb, Felicity struggled to contain a smile, "…current situation"

"Current situation" he repeated, frowning.

"Well you've already seen what _I _look like, do you really want to see what my kitchens like?" she spoke as she tightened her ponytail.

"Now you're just intriguing me, how bad could it be?"

"Never in your life say those words all they are is bad trouble…and fine if you want to have a look, then please be my guest" taking a step back, Felicity ignored all thoughts screaming at her about how this was such a bad idea and instead focusing on the idea of a completely relaxed and stress-free Oliver.

"…oh-kay" he said with hesitation.

"Just so you know, it's your fault, you said you were intrigued" Felicity's tone took on a sing-songy air, another tendency she liked to do when she was completely relaxed and in her zone.

"Holy Christ, what have you been doing in here, having a party? And without me, now I'm hurt"

"Oh hilarious" Felicity mocked him as he genuinely smiled at her and stared at the cake in the over, well more like batter taking it's sweet arse time to rise. "Done the actual cake now I just have to do the icing and filling" she muttered aloud as she took up her position she had been in a couple minutes ago.

"Well, need some help?"

"I'm sorry, what was that? Was Oliver Queen asking to help baking a cake? Well this is definitely going to be interesting"

"Aren't you funny" Oliver couldn't help but grin at this woman, a vision of light before him, completely ignoring the past awkwardness they had been processing between them. "Well do you want my help or not?"

"Hmmm…well there's no way I'm passing this up, this is going to be good"

* * *

Who knew Oliver actually possessed some sort of grace around the kitchen, especially as gargantuan as he was but nonetheless he surprised her.

Before starting he had removed his shoes and socks, the same as Felicity was sporting as she looked down at her brightly coloured purple toenails.

Working as a team, Oliver had taken the responsibility of the filling while Felicity covered the icing for the top of the cake. All sorts of berries were ready to go in bowls at the side of the countertop.

As they worked through the last ten minutes that the cake had left in the oven, Oliver had originally positioned himself to reach up to grab something from the cupboards.

Turning around to go retrieve something else from her fridge, Felicity turned and almost ploughed straight into a wall of muscle but fortunately stopped herself just in time but sadly not in time to miss Oliver glancing down at her as she revealed to herself just how intimate the position they currently stood in looked, with Oliver backing Felicity into the corner counter.

And just like that, the awkwardness returned.

Feeling her heartbeat accelerate, Felicity did the first thing she thought of which apparently if she had thought about it, wasn't probably the best idea out of them all.

As they locked eyes with each other, Oliver's arm still rose above his head towards the cupboard, Felicity reached behind her and automatically knew what was in her grasp.

Smirking, Felicity smacked him round the face with the remaining bag of flour, trying her best to muffle her giggle at the look of his shocked/surprised face staring back at her.

_Too late _Felicity thought as the giggle burst through and filled the silence, attempting to silence herself by placing her hand over her mouth and she didn't need to look at herself to know that her eyes had probably gone comically wide.

"Oh you think that's funny?" Oliver growled out, his face determined yet sporting a grin so wide she thought it would jump from his face.

"Nope, I think that was _hilarious_" she smirked in reply, removing her hand as she got ready to run if need be.

As a deep growl emitted from Oliver's throat, Felicity found herself running and ducking behind her breakfast bar as the bag of flour came flying towards her, yelping as it merely skimmed her head.

Soon Felicity found out the hard way that no matter how hard she tried to hide, it was never good enough to hide from the Arrow as he appeared at her side in the blink of an eye, pushing a handful of flour into her face but luckily she managed to at least cover her eyes with her hands.

When the deep chuckles started to play, Felicity peeked through her fingers to find a smile erupting over Oliver's face.

"Oh it is so on!" she exclaimed as a food fight began in her kitchen.

"Like Donkey Kong!" he finished for her.

* * *

What seemed like mere seconds ticking by, Felicity found herself once again being backed up against one of the kitchen counters by Oliver as a predatory look glazed his eyes over.

"You're mine" he snarled out as his arms locked her waist.

"Caveman!" she laughed out at him as she desperately tried to find some kind of release but nothing appeared to be working.

"Admit defeat and I'll let go"

"Me admit defeat? Never!" closing in on a bit of the distance between their faces, something Oliver seemed now fixed on.

She'd found her advantage.

"Can't you just let me go Oliver?" fluttering her long eyelashes at him, she tilted her head to the side like she had done all those years ago when they had first met. She could feel his heartbeat accelerating like hers had done at the beginning when this fight had begun.

"Never" when his response came she was partly in shock by the meaningful words beneath the sole reply.

But that didn't last for long.

"Aw, aren't you adorable…when you're distracted" she laughed at him as she brought to eggs to both his cheeks, cupping his face like he had done that night at the hospital. "Caveman routines don't work with me Queen" she whispered before finding a way to slide from his grip but found resistance when his arms tightened all the more around her waist, pulling her back to him once again.

"No you don't" a large, ear-splitting grin claimed the majority of his face as he looked her in the eyes, giving her quite the sight as yolk trailed down his face. "Don't you want a kiss Felicity?" now he was giving her the look like the cat that ate the canary.

"NO!" she cried out, laughter filling her voice, as he erased the distance and edged closer to her lips but still she struggled against him. "OLIVER! DON'T!"

"But it's only fair Felicity, look like the yolks on you"

They must've made quite the sight, both covered in flour and Oliver's face overrun with yolk from the broken egg shells still on either side of his face as he crowded Felicity against the counter tops trying to remove the distance between them but failing as her limbs flailed about in frantic attempts to push 'yolk boy' away from her as much as possible.

"Oh my God look Roy's in a clown suit!"

"What!" falling for the oldest trick in the book, turning round to the hallway, grin falling from his face as he searched for the non-existent boy.

Turning back to Felicity- correction, where Felicity _had _been -catching a glimpse of her blonde ponytail bouncing around behind her back as she retreated to the room beside the kitchen, Oliver in hot pursuit behind her but faltered when she grabbed the bowl of frosting he had been working on.

"Felicity, don't you dare!" Oliver pointed at her in a warning gesture but received nothing but a smirk and a flop of frosting flying his way, catching him in the forehead. "That's it, you're done!" he roared out

"NO!" she screamed out, ribs flaring in mock pain as they stung from the amount of laughter, as he dashed after her, through the doors to the dining room to find she had rounded to the other side.

"Now I've got you, you've got nowhere else to go now" he smiled like a tiger about to pounce on its prey.

"Oliver…" she trailed off as he hurdled over the table and tackled her to the floor, getting a frosting bowl placed on his head. "Now that suits you perfectly, who knew pink was your colour" sarcasm laced her tone as the innocent act was played out- something she had learnt from early on was if you used the 'cute' look to your advantage, you could get out of almost anything -but only getting a glare from Oliver, who was sat atop her straddling her hips, his left hand pinning both of hers above her head before the other dove in to her side, getting squeals of laughter to burst from her throat as she tried frantically to get out of his constant tickles.

"Oliver….please…..stop…I can't…..breathe…" she gasped out, face flushed as red as a strawberry, as she struggled to pause her laughter fit to take in the necessary- and very much needed -air.

"Well then you should've thought about that before starting something that you couldn't finish, shouldn't you" his grip on her wrists tightened as she wriggled and squirmed about, thrashing against his grip when he refused to stop the insistent tickle attack.

"Call a truce and I'll think about letting you go"

"….URGH! FINE, FINE….TRUCE!" she squealed once more when met with encouragement, just not the kind to push her in the direction she would've taken if the choice was hers alone- meaning no tinkering from Oliver.

"Now was that so hard?" leaning down, Oliver wore an all-too smug smirk in her direction, seemingly forgetting about one thing.

"…you know what you forgot about though?"

"Oh yeah, what's that then?"

"…this" she announced before whipping her hands in the yolk still present on his cheeks before dragging her hands across his face, finishing with a tap on the nose. "…your memory is getting worryingly bad Mr Queen"

"Don't start another one off Ms Smoak, because you might receive more than you can handle" snarling playfully down at her.

Oliver rose to his feet, hauling Felicity up with him in the process to start back to the cake that was steadily ticking down in seconds.

Those ten minutes had felt like an eternity for both of them, an eternity full of laughter and happiness but most of all contentment, something everybody craved at some point in their lives.

One thing that both Oliver and Felicity forgot was amongst the death and destruction, all it took was for the two of them to be together and the light they held between them both- that love for one another -was so bright it chased away the darkness that was all Oliver had ever known all his life.

* * *

An hour later they found themselves, cleaned up, on Felicity's couch watching TV with a bowl of chocolate cake and whipped cream in their laps. Oliver sat against the back of the couch while Felicity lay with her feet perched in his lap, which he was resting his bowl atop.

"You know we should do this more often Felicity, it's quite fun baking" Oliver stated while scooping up the remainder of his cake into his mouth in one mouthful.

"You're just saying that because I won today" she teased him while popping a spoonful of chocolate cake into her mouth.

"Watch it Smoak"

"Nah, too much fun pushing your buttons…honestly until today I had no idea you actually knew how to laugh"

"I know how to laugh Felicity!"

"Oh really because until about an hour ago, all you did was stand there and growl at whoever even so much as twitched!" letting out another laugh when he began tickling her feet, forcing them both to place their bowls on the coffee table so they didn't end up breaking them.

"I honestly owe you for finally getting me to properly let go and laugh"

"I knew you weren't made out of stone!" Felicity smirked down at him, watching his face twist with mock anger.

"Watch it" pointing in her direction. When she mouthed 'no' while shaking her head with a grin, he grabbed hold of her ankle and yanked her down so he could reach down towards her and wrap his arms around her, pulling her to him.

After a few moments of silence, Oliver broke through the stillness with a smile perched on his face.

"Thank you Felicity"

"Anytime" smiling up at Oliver, she closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest.

Leaning down he laid a kiss on her forehead, closing his eyes to feel her finally against him since that bloody explosion that happened on that date.

Sleep claimed him shortly after, but falling asleep cuddled up with Felicity was the best way to go.


	40. Blinding Light

**Alright I know this one is kind of sappy but my soul needed it after waiting to see what happens in the next episode of Arrow, honestly I'm almost too scared to watch it because I know that I'm going to cry like I did in the last episode. This is what I really want to happen in the show because it would be just amazing. **

**And as always, please leave a review and tell me your thoughts. **

**Thanks x**

They say that the last thing you see before your die is your life passing right before your eyes.

The memory of his father that had saved him when he had been so close to giving up, to surrendering in Yai Fei's cave, and the look of strength and bravery faced him and gave him the courage to keep fighting, to get home and to his family and their city.

His mother's hugs that always brought him back to the times when he'd been a little boy and he'd scraped his knee, she'd always come to his rescue and chased the pain away. Thea and that look of utterly relief when he had passed through the front door of the mansion; stood at the foot of the stairs where she had jumped into his arms. His sister that he promised himself he would die fighting for, even if he stood alone.

Then the light met him.

An angel who was woven from the light of the sun with hair like golden thread, with skin as soft as silk and a heart so kind it should be her undoing but never is.

The woman who kept his heart safe, even in the darkest of places.

_Felicity_

The one who had always been his primary source of power, fuelling him with the strength needed to continue to fight no matter how close he was to the end of his line, convincing him to never give up.

His Felicity, who never ceased to believe in him, even when she stood on her own feet against the world, the only one brave enough to love a creature of darkness.

Never in his life had he known someone as strong as her, someone who never relied on those around her to get through fights, who braved the world as it came but never faltered in making those around her feel her warmth and providing them with a guiding light.

_"Oliver"_

No matter where he was, her voice never left him.

_"Come home"_

* * *

Blinking open heavy eyelids, his gaze scanned the area around him, searching for immediate answers as to where in fact he was.

"Easy, you're still injured" a voice came from his side, immediately activating the survival mode of Oliver, something that now came like a sixth sense. Observing the man before him with cautious eyes, Oliver body coiled beneath the cloths he had probably been dressed in but refused to speak a word. "You're probably wondering to whom I am…correct?" remaining silent, he continued to watch the man in question as he walked throughout the cave.

No matter if this man had saved him, he was not to be trusted, Oliver knew that at least for the rest would remain a mystery.

* * *

Keeping track of the days passing by with lines on the wall above the foot of his bed with each passing sun and moon- which in his mind was the cot that Felicity had brought him, picturing this made it easier to sleep in it at night -Oliver was aware that precisely three months had passed since his fight with Ra's al Ghul. His team most likely thought he to be dead and Felicity…he refused himself to think on the subject, instead filled his thoughts with his memories of her.

Through these past months the man still hadn't been able to near Oliver without receiving an attack with a broken piece of wood used to build the fire.

He might be injured but defenceless was not in his vocabulary.

* * *

Light, _his _light is what drives him through pretty much each and every day.

The thought of finally holding her again in his arms is alone enough to persuade him to continue fighting but during the night, his walls finally come down and his dreams are filled with her face.

* * *

"Oliver Queen, the Arrow of Starling City, I believe it is time for you to return home once again" a female voice broke his train of thoughts as his eyes snapped to the entrance of the cave to see none other than Nyssa, the daughter of the bastard that almost killed him.

For the first time in months after repeating her name into silence around him day and night, Oliver believed. Believe her words to be true.

"Why?" he spoke without a trace of emotion.

"Because no matter what you have done to deserve what have received, nobody should lose the one they hold most dearest and Felicity Smoak of MIT '09 doesn't deserve to find such pain in that form as I have found without my Sara. The one time I laid eyes upon her, I knew just how much love you held for her because that is what once felt for my lost love. Sara spoke kind words about her, how she does not do for herself but for that of others, so selfless she would willingly stand between a bullet and those she cared of. She is a survivor, but she is your salvation" all the while Nyssa had been steadily walking towards Oliver, now standing in front of him. "Return to her Oliver and as one who has lost whom I gave my heart to, do not follow your trail of mistakes. If you see a chance to be with her, _you take it_. If I had done so with Sara maybe I would not have lost her, now I am to suffer in my own silence as my canary took flight without me"

"Sara loved you, more than anyone. You made her happy"

"Just as Felicity does for you…now go before my father finds out what we have done for you!" Nyssa exclaimed as she ushered him off towards the exit of the cave along with all the necessary supplies needed to make it back to his reason of his existence.

He was going home.

* * *

Honestly if somebody had asked him how he had managed to make it from the lair of the League of Assassins and back to Starling City again, he would have no idea for the strength that had once ran raw and powerful through his veins had faded significantly. The only strength he needed was from the desperate need to return to his guiding light. That one thought that drove him through every obstacle that stood tall between them was enough for him.

Entering Starling City again was nothing like it had once been. When he had returned from the island the first time after five years ashore Lian Yu, he had seen his city as more but now…it was different, it had changed but whether or not that change was good is unknown to him.

* * *

Staggering through the club and into the basement, surprisingly locked with the same code, Oliver's heart pounded in his chest, he had no idea what events were going to be happening following the moment he descended down to the bottom step of the staircase.

Would Felicity want him back?

Would she still harbour the same feelings she once had before he had pushed her away from his thought with the sole intention to protect and guard her from all potential harm?

Had she moved on from him?

Thoughts of her and Ray kissing in QC (heck with what he renamed it to be) polluted his mind, bringing along a sense of nervous and ever fading hope that she would've waited for him. If she was with Ray then that alone would convince him that she was lost to him, he wouldn't be able to win her back and honestly who would blame her for moving on with her life, that's what he wanted for her in the beginning right? Who was he to suddenly sweep in and expect things of her when he wasn't even sure the feeling was reciprocated but one thing was definitely for sure?

There was no chance that he was just going to allow her to think that she went unloved by him when her name had been scorched upon his heart and soul from the day he had met her and she had done something nobody had done with him then. She was honest.

Approaching that last hurdle that bordered the two of them off, Oliver felt a kind of fear he had never felt before. She was everything to him now, his only reason to continue this line of work that he had begun with the final intention to live and die alone like he had.

Finally after months of suffering in the silence on that bloody mountainside cave, the sun shone brightly, devouring all the darkness that lay in its path. His salvation, his everything was finally meeting him face to face.

"…Felicity" her name slid off his tongue like was meant to be there, a name he had repeated and worshipped during his recovery.

A shiver went up her spine as her fingers ceased movement over the tops of the keyboard, stillness embracing her like it had never done before. This was different. Back straightening, her chair leisurely began to swivel round to face him.

Then like it was heaven speaking to him, she spoke his name.

"Oliver"

And just like that, the curtains dropped.

His arms banded round her petite form like steel iron as her body collided with his own, throwing herself into him to which he more than gladly returned while bringing his face down to bury in her neck to breathe in her aromatic scent that flooded his nostrils but his senses weren't bothering to fight rather than memorising it, storing it away for future use.

* * *

The light never left him.

The angel who was woven from the light of the sun with hair like golden thread, with skin as soft as silk and a heart so kind it should be her undoing but never is.

The woman who kept his heart safe even in the darkest of places.

_Felicity_

His Felicity, the one person he wouldn't hesitate to hand over everything he's ever known just to have her in his life.

* * *

Birds singing woke him as the morning breeze waltzed with the trees outside his window, welcoming him awake. Watching as the sun streamed in through the window panes, spotlighting the bed in the centre of the room, he observed as golden light radiating off the figure that lay within arm's reach.

A vision of light, a Goddess lay with him.

It had been a month since his return to Starling and the beginning of a new relationship that was long overdue. The moment Oliver and Felicity had basked in the love and adoration for the other, they were inseparable, never releasing the other person from their grasp.

Within weeks they had become 'Starling City's Star Couple' for no matter where they went their love was present 24/7 even during arguments.

Waking up with _his Felicity _in his arms every morning was pure and utter bliss, he always managed to wake up before she did so he could take the time to appreciate everything he had once deprived himself of.

The dream never left his thoughts so when he woke to the real life image, happiness couldn't even begin to describe how he felt but one thing was known to him though.

_He finally did something right_.

"…mmm….Oliver" she murmured, shifting herself to face him, he couldn't help but smile adoringly at her when the light reflected off of the engagement ring on her finger. Soon she would be officially his in every way possible.

"I love you" he whispered and his thumb brushed over the emerald cut marquise solitaire engagement ring that adored her finger.

As a smile lit up her face, the sun beamed down on her, painting the image in front of him in such brightness he'd never seen before.

"I love you too" she replied, pulling him down into a searing and passionate kiss which he more than delightfully returned.

Now this was a dream come true.


	41. Truth or Dare

**It seems forever since I last uploaded a 'Trope' chapter now, holy hell, this specific fanfic was written some time last year but apparently just pushed to the side and forgotten about and today I found it in my documents just sitting there...staring at me...it was weird, just a little staring competition. **

**Anyways, as always, leave a review and tell me your thoughts. **

**Thanks and enjoy! x**

"This isn't going to be ending well" Digg stated, calling it before it had even begun, crossing his arms while the team sat cross-legged on the floor in a circle.

Everyone had decided to pull an all-nighter at the foundry to receive any news of an update regarding a new target that had appeared in the city, so they were all on the floor in their PJs.

"Oh stop being such a downer, it'll be fun" Sara swatted at his chest as she resumed her place between Felicity and Digg. "Alright Digg you're first, truth or dare?"

"Truth" he had learnt long ago that dare was never a good choice to take for some of the dare could land him in an extremely sticky situation.

"Who do you prefer; Oliver, Roy or Felicity?" Laurel chimed in with his truth.

Laurel had become more liked than she had ever been before. She owed most of that to Felicity, the two had become like secondary sisters in the time they'd spent together.

"Well that's easy, Felicity, she's the only one that doesn't annoy me as much as the other two do" Digg answered without hesitation.

"Hey!" Roy and Oliver yelled out in agitation in unison before glaring at one another.

Thank god they were sitting on opposite sides of the circle to each other otherwise this would be turning down quite an interesting path quicker than they could even blink.

"Alright, Roy, truth or dare?" Laurel turned to her next victim. In this game, God help you is you choose dare with Laurel.

"Dare" Roy said quite loud while smirking at Laurel but she all but happily returned the gesture, taking a momentary glance Felicity's way before returning her gaze to Roy again.

"I dare you to kiss Felicity"

The whole group went silent. Yep this game really wasn't going to be ending well.

Oliver was subtly clenching his hands into tight fists at his side. He _really _didn't like this dare.

"What are you waiting for Roy? Pucker up" Laurel's chipper voice rung out through the Foundry.

"Fine"

Rising to his knees he leaned over towards Felicity, clutched the back of her neck and covered her lips with his own.

The kiss lasted for about four seconds before both parties pulled back.

"Who's next?" Roy tried desperately to change the subject for a certain vigilante that was most likely planning his death across the circle from him.

"Oliver, truth or dare?" Digg swiftly moved on before things turned brutal.

"Dare" Oliver growled out, not bothering to cut off his glare from Roy.

"I dare you to do a set of press ups" Sara smiled.

"That's it?" he frowned.

"…with Felicity sitting on your back" his frown didn't last long as Oliver turned to look at Felicity, smirking.

"Why does everything had to include me?" Felicity grumbled under her breath as she rose to her feet and wandered over to Oliver, who was now lying on his stomach waiting for her.

Carefully sitting down atop him (ignoring how wrong that sounded in her mind) Felicity balanced herself on his back as Oliver jumped straight into it without so much as a moment's hesitation.

* * *

She was sure he had done over a thousand sets now, her still on his back.

Perching her elbow on her knee and cupping her face, it was evident from her demeanour that she didn't like this dare one bit.

Thank god she had decided against her short nightie and gone with her tank top and bottoms, otherwise this would've been awkward to a T.

"Well I don't think he's going to be stopping anytime soon so Felicity, truth or dare?" Sara asked with a smile in her voice.

Glancing down at Oliver and knowing already he definitely wasn't going to be stopping, she signed. "Truth" she said almost automatically, avoiding anything like having to kiss someone else.

"Who was your first kiss?" Laurel just loved the idea of kissing it seemed. As soon as she asked, a shiver ran up her spine just thinking about it and apparently Oliver seemed to feel it also but it didn't mean he stopped though.

"Urgh…high school, it was a dare on of the girls came up with. To kiss the next person that talked to me…yeah didn't turn out so well, honestly that didn't really surprise me though. It turned out to the one boy that was crushing on me at the time. Let's just say he's got the qualities for a possible future career of being a stalker"

"He stalked you!" Digg was intrigued now it appeared, as were the rest of them.

"Sadly, for an entire year too until one of my friends set him straight…just not in a particularly pleasant way"

"How?" Laurel shifted round to face her more.

"That's not part of the truth though, anyways who's next?"

"I do believe that's it is Oliver's turn" Digg smirked.

"Speaking of which, are you actually going to stop doing those press up, Sara only said three sets?"

His only response was a growl before once again lying flat on the ground, instantly Felicity removed herself from his back and took her space up in the circle, Oliver coming to sit opposite her.

"Truth or dare?" she had a strange feeling Laurel wasn't going to be stopping anytime soon, the mysterious glint in her eyes was evidence enough of that.

"Dare"

"What is it with you and dares?"

"I don't do truths, it gets far too complicated"

"I dare you to…"

"I swear if you say kiss someone, I'm pulling out now" Felicity muttered under her breath but of course Oliver's super-hearing picked it up and he grinned deviously at her, to which she shot a glare back in response.

"To tickle Felicity until she calls a truce"

"What, no!"

Within the next second Oliver was up on his feet and creeping his way round the circle before she had even noticed his movement. When her eyes locked onto his movement towards her, shuffling backwards and to her feet and dashing behind where the kept the weapons, Oliver was hot on her heels.

"Who do you think is going to lose?" Roy muttered to Digg.

"Oliver definitely" Digg replied.

"You got a point there"

Focusing back on the scene between the pair, Oliver lunged for Felicity but thanks to her time spent alongside the team members she had gained instinctual defences in certain areas, like sensing incoming attacks even if they were tickle attacks because they were still lethal in the hands of the wrong person; for example, Oliver.

"Come on Oliver, you're getting your arse kicked by a woman!" Sara teased receiving a growl in response from Oliver.

"You're forgetting who this woman is though" he snarled, trying his luck again rounding the edge but ultimately failing once again.

"You got that damn right!" Felicity squeaked before ducking behind the weaponry table but Oliver wasn't about to give up that easily.

"Imagine the league seeing Oliver getting bested by Felicity" Roy muttered to the group, getting laughter radiating from them.

Felicity made the mistake of nearing the mats where Oliver instantly seized the opportunity, taking the advantage over her, and sent them both crashing into one of the training mats. Oliver positioning himself to take the brunt of the fall but moved to roll atop her.

Trapping her arms above her head whilst brining his legs over hers to secure her beneath him, Oliver began attacking her side making her squirm and squeal with laughter.

"Oliver…stop…stop, it hurts…Oliver!" Felicity's face was flush red with the laughter erupting from her.

"You know I do believe I remember you laughing about the eyes mask I used to wear when I first met you and how you said it was utterly ridiculous. So is it still ridiculous now Felicity?"

"No fair….NO! I will never…admit that eye make-up….wasn't ridiculous!" she laughed out while Oliver only increase the attack all the more.

"Well then that's your own choice but I won't stop until you say it wasn't ridiculous so…this is your own fault isn't it"

"…I…can't breathe" Felicity's face screwed up in laughter as she attempted to curl herself up into a ball but was blocked off by Oliver, making him chuckle deeply alongside her.

"…oh Ollie!" he heard a sing-songy voice from behind him before a tidal wave of frozen water completely drenched him but somehow managed to avoid Felicity in the doing, maybe from the way Oliver was basically covering her entire body.

Pausing in his torture to Felicity, he saw Laurel and Sara holding a now empty water bucket as Digg and Roy stood behind them chuckling away.

"Oh so that's how it's going to be now huh? Betrayed by my own team mated? Game on" the result of wiping clean the smirks plastered on their faces made a devilish grin take him over as he brought Felicity up with him and hid behind one of the pillars.

"…Oliver" turning to Felicity's whisper, he saw what she motioning to, his smirk joining Felicity's.

There on the side were two buckets beside a tap.

Now things were going to get interesting.

"Let's get them" sneaking their way over to the buckets. Thanks to Oliver's ninja senses, Felicity filled the buckets quietly whilst Oliver was on lookout.

Feeling a light tap on his shoulder, he turned to a now full bucket of freezing water topped off by ice cubes. Frowning at the sight of the ice Oliver looked up at Felicity, who had a predatory look to her eyes, soon changing his expression in the doing.

"Oh they're going to get it good. You go for Sara and Laurel while I go for Digg and Roy"

Observing the way the four in question put their backs to each other, searching the lair for the two of them, Oliver smiled before motioning for Felicity to follow his lead round the opposite side.

Watching Felicity's lips as she mouthed a countdown from three, the two bounded out the shadows, launching a tsunami of ice cold water over the team making them screech in shock at impact.

"So that's how it's going to be now?" Roy muttered as they all split off into two teams, the original Team Arrow versus the new additions to the team.

"You can give up now you know!" Felicity called out, tricking Sara with the sound of her voice, lowering the pitch and volume of it and sending mixed messages to the three of them in case they were tracking them by sound.

Both Digg and Oliver saw what she was doing and nodded at the silent blueprints of the plan. Choose one and take them out.

* * *

By the end of it all, the lot of them were soaked through and laughing with one another whilst slowly drying off and changing into different PJ's.

"Oh great…just bloody great!" Felicity grumbled under her breath.

"Felicity?" Oliver knocked gently making sure she was actually descent before entering the bathroom. "You okay? Wait, why aren't you changed yet?" he noticed the second he saw her dripping form that something must've gone wrong somehow.

"Me being me, I didn't bring a spare pair of PJ's. Looks like I'll be sleeping in wet nightwear tonight, joy. And the events for tomorrow…hyperthermia"

"You're not getting hyperthermia Felicity, here you can borrow one of my shirts to sleep in for tonight. Don't you have tracksuit bottoms in your gym bag?"

"I'm not sure"

"Stay here, I'll check…it's warmer in here than it is out there"

* * *

"I didn't know we were sharing each other's clothes" Roy mused as Felicity walked out in one of Oliver's oversized shirts, she always did have her eye on the blue long-sleeved raglan shirt, and a pair of her own purple sweatpants with a white line running down the seam of the leg.

"Roy unless you want to be locked out of here for an entire week with absolutely no cell power, even if you do charge it consistently, I'd shut up if I were you" Felicity smiled pointedly at him, causing him to snap his jaw shut instantly, making Oliver smirk at the level of power she had over pretty much everyone here at the current moment.

"You'll learn eventually kid, never mess with smoke unless you want to get burnt" Sara laughed out as she settled herself down inside her sleeping bag beside Laurel.

Grumbling in response, Roy set himself up next to Digg who didn't look to be planning to strangle him in his sleep unlike a certain green-hooded, bow-wielding vigilante.

"So I'm guessing no ghost stories then" Sara sighed, trying to claim the most comfortable position to sleep in.

"Nah…can't be bothered…too tired for…that" Roy trailed off as he fell asleep almost instantaneously when his head hit his pillow.

"Felicity's computers will wake us up if we're needed" Digg announced, waving his hand around in mid-air to try and emphasise his point before he too joined the land of the unconsciousness, Laurel following close behind.

Throwing one more glance in the direction of her computers Felicity snuggled deeper into her spare duvet (her only sleeping bag was the one from camp that she went to when she was ten years old, there's no chance in hell it's going to be able to keep her warm enough), already hearing Oliver's breathing levelling out notifying her he was already asleep, and in a deep sleep by the looks of it.

* * *

If anyone has asked her what in fact had woke her up originally, she wouldn't be able to answer but one thing she definitely knew was warmth.

Eyes sluggishly opening Felicity reached for her phone, which she had left within arm's reach, and she squinted to see the too bright screen already telling her it was three o'clock in the morning. They had all gone to sleep around one-ish. Replacing the device to its original position was actually harder than it looked.

Looking around at everyone else, it told her they were all still fast asleep by how still their figures were however, she only counted four heads then remembered Oliver had actually set himself up behind her so he was actually closest to the computers.

Swivelling around Felicity came face to face with the realisation that, one, Oliver was _much _closer than before like also sleeping beneath her duvet (apparently in the middle of the night he had fully unzipped his sleeping bag and added it as another layer to the two of them and joined her) right behind her and two, the weight she had only actually _just _registered (it's still morning, give her a break) was actually his arm that had draped itself over her waist and was holding her back to his front.

Sparing a look at her computers showed her everything was going as planned so deciding now was definitely _way _too early to be officially getting up, Felicity settled herself back down underneath her duvet and Oliver's sleeping bag.

_'He's asleep, there's no way he'll be able to tell'_ her thoughts revolved around the idea.

Let's just say her weariness made her bold as she turned but wasn't aware of just _how _close he'd actually be because right now her face laid inches from his, if she shuffled forward a couple more inches she'd be able to kiss him. Taking the chance to look at just how at peace he was, Felicity saw no more worry lines creasing his face or bags beneath his eyes, instead she just saw acceptance, somebody she knew he tried to protect as much as he could from the outside world for the fear of knowing just how much of a potential it held to hurt him.

Not being able to hold back, Felicity reached out and gently ran her fingers over his forehead and down his cheek.

As she heard his breathing deepen, she swore he made a sound distinctively like a sigh of relief, her fingers froze as she was met by two deep blue orbs as they tracked her face almost as if making their own lines as she had done with him.

"…Felicity…" he breathed out, breaking her out of her trance as they both stared at one another before Felicity finally made the first move.

Breathing deeply, she shifted herself so she burrowed herself half into the pillows and duvet then half into Oliver's chest.

_Damn this man for sleeping without a bloody shirt._

Watching her as she made herself at home, Oliver brought his head down to bury itself in her hair as he began to band his arms around her form, drawing her further into him.

Shivers coursed up her spine as his hands began drawing lines up her back, she also came to realise that her- Oliver's -shirt had ridden up to it now bunched around her waist allowing her to feel the warmth his fingers caused in all their glory.

"Mine" she whispered into his chest as she leisurely began drifting off again but not before she felt him chuckling against the top of her head.

"I wouldn't have it any other way" he muttered back before he too joined her, arms still wrapped around her, the smile never whipping from his face.

If the others noticed the shirt rucked up around her waist with his hand firmly secured on her bare back beneath the cloth while the other rested on the curve of her back, her leg thrown over his own, they never spoke a single word.

* * *

Following that night, Oliver's shirt made several more appearances on Felicity throughout the course of their relationship, mostly ending in the same way each time.


	42. My Beloved Light

**So I found this in my documents the other day, just laying there so I decided to upload it and see what you lot think of it. Honestly I can't really remember actually writing it. **

**Anyways, as usual leave a review and tell me your thoughts. **

**Thanks and enjoy x**

"Ra's al Ghul…what are you doing here?" Oliver demanded, tightening his hold of his bow and coming to stand in front of Felicity, who remained seated at her desk, Diggle and Roy grabbing their weapons and joining Oliver.

"Don't believe your petty weapons can stop me from collecting my deal"

"What do you mean your _deal_?"

"Oh you weren't aware of the compromise? Why do I yet to find myself shocked by that?" his teasing voice sent chills up his spine. "See as it stood, I had originally come to force you to join the League however, we met a little _resistance_ in the process. Finding out my intentions, someone convinced me otherwise so instead now you are safe to complete your meaningless existence along with your team here"

"I don't understand, who did this?" there was something in his voice that Oliver didn't like, didn't trust, and it was like a slow process of salt being poured on an open wound.

"Well that would be your blonde hacker team mate currently sitting behind you, _not _looking she's seen a ghost which surprises me to be honest"

Upon hearing Ra's al Ghul speak of Felicity in that content sent his protective instincts on over drive as his body stiffened along with Digg's and Roy's as well.

"Over my dead body" Oliver snarled out, the animal freeing itself from its cage, as fired off a warning arrow over the top of Ghul's head.

"So be it, let us see who is victorious" without as much as a warning the group of assassins were set off like a jack-in-the-box.

* * *

"Felicity! Please don't do this! There has to be another way, you have no idea what you're doing! I won't let you do this!" Oliver pleaded out desperately as he fought the pain coursing through his body, trying to push himself to his feet but failing to do so, crashing back down once again.

"Oliver if I don't then you all will be killed, I know what will happen to you all" Felicity's voice held so many emotions as her team lay shattered around her, the league looming above them like shadows in the night, knives and arrows drawn.

Everything lay completely demolished around her as the wreckage of the lair began to take its toll on Felicity. She knew what Ra's al Ghul truly wanted.

He wanted Oliver, he wanted to break him until none of his soul remained. Until darkness etched across his very being and that was not something she was about to allow to happen. Especially to the man who her heart was addicted to, she couldn't live without him and she wasn't prepared to either.

"Felicity, no! Don't" Roy yelled out, earning himself a blow to the face to shut him up but only served to stoke at his anger all the more.

"Guys, you have to let me go. They won't hurt you if I go with them" locking eyes with the demon himself, he nodded his head in agreement before extending his hand for her to take.

"FELICITY, NO!" Oliver yelled out as she began to move towards the man, his eyes looking with pure terror upon the scene in front of him. The assassin above him brought a blade down to his cheek but only infuriated him further.

Not allowing her gaze to drop for Ra's al Ghul, not for the fear she partially contained but for the reason being that if she looked at one of her team member's faces she would lose all composure and back out of this and where would that get them, Felicity gently placed her nimble hands into his larger more calloused ones that held the blood of so many more poor souls that he had slaughtered. Without a hint of fear, courage washed over her and gave her a reason to fight, surrounding the fear with iron walls for none to see.

She would not, for the life of her, ever allow the lives of her friends to be at risk. So if it meant that she had to willingly sacrifice her own, so be it, it would make it easier to sleep at night knowing that she saved her friends.

Controlling her emotions within a tight fist, Felicity turned to lay her eyes upon the three she now called her family one last time before the chance shattered into a thousand pieces.

"I love you guys always…don't come for me…not for me, this is how it has to be" her voice sounded so brittle even to her own ears, reminding her of how much of a porcelain child she had been when she was younger and how much she'd had to grow up quickly in the world of Vegas.

"FELICITY! NO!" Oliver called her name so desperately it broke his own heart at the sound, leaving it to shatter completely in a pile on the floor. Roaring, Oliver bellowed a promise out to her.

"I SWEAR TO GOD, I WILL NOT STOP UNTIL I FIND YOU!"

* * *

Lurching himself clean off the cot, Oliver's vision blurred as his own voice faded in his mind, tears flooding his eyes.

Slamming his head back down onto the pillow, Oliver swore at the damage his own thoughts were doing to him. They were relentless, forcing cracks into his composure and permitting wave upon wave of desperate pleads that it was him that had been stolen away instead of her.

Now it all had left him broken.

Everything he had once felt, his humanity he had believed to be slowly gaining back now disappeared along with Felicity.

Bringing his fist to his forehead, Oliver allowed himself his moment of weakness as he was plagued with the thoughts of never in his life seeing the radiant light that was Felicity Smoak. Tears tracked down his face as images of her face, her light, flowed through his mind.

Why?

Why did she have to be so selfless?

Why did she continue to fight for him, fight for something that nobody else even believed to be there?

Why couldn't he have just let her go when he had the chance?

None of this would be happening if it wasn't for him, she would be safe to live her life to the fullest but no. Instead he had to continue to seek her help with petty problems while his trust and love for her grew.

No matter what way he saw it, no matter how hard he came down upon himself nothing could change his mind for the thought that had swamped him the first time he had met Felicity.

The way she had relieved a heavy burden from his shoulders just by rambling accidentally about his father drowning; nobody else would have even dared gone to that extent for the fear of upsetting him but not Felicity, no instead her mouth had run away from her.

For the first time since that blasted island; he had genuinely smiled.

Smiling softly at the memory of her, a piece of her was everywhere in his life. The memory of her first calling him out on his bullshit lies, she was too smart for her own good. Laughing at the fact that he knew since he first met her, he had been 'Smoaked', as he liked to call it.

Shaking his thoughts out of their current state, Oliver focused on his main goal, the promise he swore to not only Felicity but to himself too.

Pushing himself to his feet, Oliver promised himself that he'd find her even if it was the last thing he did.

He couldn't lose her for she was everything to him; his light, his soul, his world...the meaning of his existence in a life full of hatred and suffering.

That thought in itself was unthinkable.


	43. Countdown

**I don't actually know what brought this on to be perfectly honest with you. **

**Anyways as usual, leave a review and tell me your thoughts.**

**Thanks and enjoy x**

"Anyone find anything?" Felicity's calm voice asked across the comms as the rest of the guys were out searching for a bomb that had been placed somewhere in an old warehouse on the edge of the city.

Oliver, Digg and Roy had convinced Felicity to strictly only stay in the van where she could speak to them on the comms as they did the fieldwork not wanting her anywhere near the impact zone. Oliver's anger built when she had fought for the fact that out of all four of them, she was the only one to actually have the ability to diffuse a bomb, complex wires were apparently _her jam. _

"Nothing, we've found bloody _nothing_!" Oliver vented his frustration, his voice coming across in a low growl as her knee continued to bob up and done, unable to quit fidgeting for the life of her.

"We'll keep looking anyway, it has to be somewhere here" Digg attempted to quieten down Oliver's anger but frankly nobody, except for Felicity, could come anywhere close to calming him down.

"We've been searching for God knows how long, and what do we get to show for it? A still un-diffused bomb hidden somewhere here about to blow up the another part of the City to smithereens"

"Oliver we'll find it, we can't give up now"

How Felicity managed to remain calm when threatened with the thought of yet another bomb about to go off was beyond all of them and beyond Felicity herself.

Focusing her concentration on the screens in front of her, she kept a side glance on all of their trackers as she continued to search, to pray for something that could help then.

Suddenly it hit her.

Earlier when she was going over the blueprints of the building in the lair, she had stumbled upon the plan of a basement that had been in earlier plans but had been cut off when the place was originally built.

What if it had actually been built but just put into storage?  
Making sure to keep in her earpiece, Felicity grabbed her tablet and entered the building.

Please say she was right about this.

* * *

Descending down the stairs, Felicity clutched her tablet close to her chest as the sound of her slightly muted footsteps ricocheted down the hallway.

She had decided that wearing heels in this kind of mission was a bad idea so had gone with a safe pair of converses instead. They definitely quietened her steps more than the heels would've done.

Everywhere was dark, damp and looked like it belonged in a horror film.

Oh God, please don't say Mama was going to come crawling down the hallway, now that would definitely instill nightmares.

_Really Felicity, Mama? That is the last time you watch a horror film before coming on a mission like this again._ Her mind scalded.

Doors led off into multiple directions, but which one housed the bomb? Or did any of them actually house it?

This was so infuriating!

"Felicity, are you still there?" Roy's nerves were evident across the line and it made chills appear on her skin at the sound of it.

She was always the one to calm him whenever they were in situations such as these and he'd come to basically expect her soothing voice, during the past few months Roy had become quite protective of her.

"Yep, still here, just focusing" keeping her voice low and calm was more difficult then she primarily thought for the fact being she was anything but calm in the moment.

"Got anything else we could use?" he asked as she rounded a corner into a random room located in the furthest room on one of the multiple hallways branching off from the main one.

Heart pounding in her chest, Felicity swore in that single moment, her nerves that came with this job were going to be the end of her.

"How about knowing where the bomb is?" if her voice hadn't have shook in that moment then maybe Felicity could have gotten away with convincing herself out of them all that she wasn't being slowly eaten away by fear.

"Wait, what? How do you know where the bomb is?" Oliver was always one to find the fault in something and sometimes it was a bloody curse for those of whom around him.

"Because I'm looking right at it" stalking up to the device in question, Felicity finally got a good look at the countdown gadget stuck to the top but also spied the trap.

Motion sensors stood guarding the corners near the bomb like bodyguards, not permitting any intruders within close proximity.

Shutting those off was her first move.

"WHAT! Felicity, what the hell are you doing out of the van! Where are you?" she could hear their paused footsteps as they waited on a response to her location.

"Oliver seriously there is no time for questions, right now I need to focus so shut it, I'm concentrating"

Ignoring the growl in response, Felicity hacked into the sensors and disabled them in mere seconds, checking for any other resistances blocking her path before moving onto the main course.

"5 minutes, alright Felicity you got five minutes to deactivate _a freaking bomb_" mumbling to herself while releasing a deep breath, she unlatched the top of the motherboard where all the wires connected to. "Shit, that freaking hurt" cursing as an electric shock startled her, "Bloody electric shocks"

"Felicity where are you?" Oliver's impatient yet completely ticked off voice filled her ears.

"Oliver…not now"

Growling under her breath, Felicity refused to be diverted at the men who were too goddamn protective for their own good.

All sounds of raised breathing were drowned out as Felicity traced every wire, tracking the complex wiring and searched for the correct one to diffuse the device.

* * *

It could have been seconds or minutes but to Felicity it felt like an eternity before her mind zoned in on one particular wire. Trusting her instincts, she yanked it from the port and waited on the results.

When a bunch of code presented itself on screen she could feel her heart in her throat.

"What? How is that possible? How could he have done that?" stuttering out mixed sentences, Felicity heard the elevated breathing of her partners.

"Felicity, what is it? What's happening?"

"He must've coded it somehow to go off despite all attempts at stopping it. Meaning it doesn't matter what you do, it will always go off at the end. I managed to lower the blow range but it's going to take out the entire basement. Guys, you have to get out of here right now!" Felicity found herself shouting across the comms at her team mates.

"What? No, I'm not leaving you! Dammit Felicity where are you!" Oliver yelled as the rapid thudding of his footsteps increased all the more as he set off sprinting towards the basement.

"Oliver it's not worth it! You need to get out now while you still can! If it takes out the basement, it takes you lot out with it!"

"That means you go too, I'm not letting that happen!"

Mixed sounds of running confused her to which steps were from who but the display of the countdown from 20 seconds began.

"Guys I am not kidding, if you don't get your goddamn arses out of this building right now, you are going down with this building!" Felicity tried furiously to attempt last minute decoding of the bomb, anything to stop the impact but nothing was working.

"Felicity, no! I have already lost too many and god help me, I'm NOT losing you too!" Oliver's frantic shouting was like knives at her heart but she wasn't going to allow the inevitable to happen to them, she didn't care to what outcome she received, even the threaten of death wouldn't change her mind.

"Oliver listen to me, you're not going to get to me in 60 seconds. Turn around and run out of here as fast as you can, don't let yourself become another casualty of this life. That goes for you too, Digg and Roy. Run away from here as fast as you can!"

The final countdown had begun but still Felicity refused to be taken captive by the fear presented.

"FELICITY!" Oliver yelled into the earpiece as he tried in the last remaining seconds to get to the woman he loved with everything he had.

They always say you see the devastation before you hear it but in this instance they were so completely wrong.

As static filled the silence surrounding the sound of his feet hitting the floor, the ground beneath him shook violently as he was thrown from his path, cast to the side into the walls and sliding to a halt on the floor. The sight before him was like a sucker punch to the gut.

Everything ahead of him, gone, completely demolished, shattering to pieces along with his heart.

"FELICITY…DAMN IT FELICITY...PLEASE FOR GOD'S SAKE ANSWER ME!"

"Oliver, where are you?" Digg's voice called out, close to his location but not because of the comms, still Oliver couldn't find the words to call out to his team mate.

Feeling a hand settle on his shoulder was the physical jolt he needed to actually move, closing the distance between him and the wreckage of what was once the basement with some of the building in ruins.

_Just like Tommy had died._

* * *

Eyes scanning the rubble for any signs for life, any sign of _her_, he came up with nothing.

Felicity wasn't there.

"Oliver…I…I don't think you should do this, especially in the state you're in" Digg's soothing voice spoke quietly to him but all the sounds were drowned out, leaving the words to become distorted as his eyes focused on the rubble of what once was.

"She's…no, she can't be…how…Digg, how?" sentences weren't forming as Oliver muttered word after word, eyes never wavering from the wreckage.

"I know, but Oliver we need to go, it's not safe for us to stay here…it'll only make things worse for us" Digg's voice was evident of the pain he was experiencing, thinking about the possible loss of their team mate, their partner.

Roy stood motionless at their side, staring off into the rubble, not believing his own eyes either, dropping to his knees as they couldn't hold him anymore.

Abruptly Oliver spotted movement in the distance, moving without second thinking it, _needing _to know if it was Felicity.

Please let it be her.

"Oliver!" Digg and Roy called from behind as their footsteps could be heard, falling in step with his own.

Arriving at the sight of where he spotted the movement, his pounding heartbeat swamped his mind as he shifted through the pile of metal that may or may not have been part of one of the support structures- he didn't have an actual clue but right now he didn't care -and began to heave off any pieces, intending to get to the bottom of the pile A.S.A.P.

Honestly if somebody had asked him why he was so intent of hauling off several clunks of metal, one after the other, he wouldn't be able to give an answer beside what his gut was currently screaming at him. On the island one of the things he'd learnt was how to trust your instincts and your gut in times and hopefully this was one of those times.

As he continued to dig relentlessly, Roy and Digg understood partly what he was so intent on finding out, so naturally lent a hand.

* * *

Minutes ticked by as if centuries upon centuries.

Eventually the team came across some kind of concrete structure that screamed mystery in too many ways but there was one thing that stood out more than most.

It had a false door.

Growling as he scrambled to remove the door from its hinges, Oliver gained hulk-like strength as the door went flying through the air and landed in another area in the rubble with an almighty _CRASH_.

Oliver's heart stopped altogether at what precious treasure lay hidden inside.

"Felicity!" her name slipped off his tongue so easily as he reached inside and gathered the petite figure of the woman he loved with his entire existence into his arms and hastily laid his fingers against her pulse point, exhaling heavily once he found it pumping away beneath his fingers.

"She's alive, she's alright" frankly, Oliver had no idea if he was speaking those words to soothe the two men at his side or himself.

A mystery that he currently didn't give a care about solving, focusing the majority of his attention on moving both himself and his team out of that area and far away from it.

* * *

Releasing a low moan, Felicity's eyes fluttered open at a leisurely rate as life slowly came back to her.

Bright white light suddenly blinded her, the Earth shaking in its wake alongside the sensation of pins and needles.

"Felicity, you're awake!"

"Urgh, turn off the light…too early" strangely it wasn't pain that first registered, it was weariness. She wasn't sure what the hell had happened or why but one thing she was certain of, she in desperate need of her comfy bed.

"Well good to know you're back to yourself again" Roy's jokey voice could be recognised from a mile away but when it was from up close, it was that much worse especially when it was aimed at you.

"How do you feel?"

"Sleepy" snuggling into the coldness beneath her, Felicity began to drop back off again but was stopped when two hands cupped her face, turning her attention to a stubble-covered broad one.

Oh damn it.

"I'll make you a deal, stay up a tiny bit longer then I'll take you home and you can sleep for however long you want to alright?" Oliver's features held a slight bit of uncertainty as her head fell back with a groan, desperate for her marshmallow pillow.

"What's the last thing you remember" Digg jumped straight into the figuring-out-if-she's-hurt-or-not routine, noting no immediate nor physical injuries.

"Diffusing a bomb, 50 seconds left on the countdown, the dick pissed me off by adding a feature of letting if blow up whether or not someone diffused it, Oliver screaming in my ear, jumping in the wall, closing the door, then _boom_…" complete with her hands flying to the sides, emphasising the _'boom'_ "bright white light, you three…does that is sum it up?"

"Yeah, that just about sums it up. Well since you're up and you look uninjured, can you answer me one last question….._what the hell were you thinking!" _Digg's sudden growly voice was one that rarely ever got used with her but nevertheless, like Oliver and Roy, didn't affect her in the slightest.

"Oh great back to the yelling again…joy….I was thinking you lot were too far away and I was the only one who actually had training in diffusing a bomb, the complexity of the wires like a second nature to me, and only remembered something when time was running out for all of us. So excuse me for saving your three's arses!"

"You could've been killed Felicity, doesn't that mean anything to you?" Digg growled low at her, mimicking Oliver to a certain extent as the man in question stood in an unnatural silence.

"But I wasn't and can't we have this conversation when I don't feel like my body's going to collapse on me any second now?"

"Fine, but for your punishment, I'm giving you a mini boot camp of different training sessions, just because I know how much you enjoy them" Digg's arms came to cross in front of his chest as Oliver already took up the stance, Roy sitting off to the side doing his own thing- cleaning his bow and arrows it looked like.

"Oh joy for me"

"…one thing I will say is good job for not getting yourself killed in the doing, even if it was an incredible stupid thing to do"

"Coming from somebody that's part of a group of a certain group of three men that do that every single night…means a lot"

"Well one thing's for sure, nothing can manage to pull you down"

"I deal with this for a living remember"

"Don't remind me" Digg grumbled as he strode over to his desk where he resumed gun cleaning, _fun_.

"Come on, I'm taking you home" without managing to argue with him, Oliver slipped an arm beneath her knees and back and lifted her into his arms, making his way to the stairs.

This was going to be one _long _night, Felicity thought as she took the chance to embrace the warmth he was providing and delightedly let herself drift off to the feel of Oliver's strong arms around her.

_'That isn't even the half of it' _the voice inside her mind snided.


	44. To Feel Again

**Just so you guys know, I'm not going to be able to upload since I'm going to be going away for a week so yeah, I'll try to upload when I get back though. **

**Anyways, as always leave a review and tell me your thoughts. **

**Thanks and enjoy x**

_Oliver Queen is dead._

Things seemed to freeze after that point, pain being the only existing feeling registering to her like a blade to the heart.

It's happening again.

Oliver had promised her that he'd never leave her that she'd never lose him, yet he'd gone and added himself to the list of people she's lost.

First it was her father then it had been Coop, next the pain that Sara's true death brought in its wake but Oliver?

This was her final blow.

She refused to allow herself to be hurt again so instead she built heavy walls around herself, switching it off. It was easier not to feel any pain if she didn't feel at all.

Her life went on nonetheless, helping out Diggle, Roy and Laurel with the promise of remaining to protect Starling to honour Oliver's own promise to his father while also helping Ray with his suit. When returning home from both jobs, no more tears were present…just surviving, simply existing.

Everyone seemed to worry about her new way of life, how she was now just a shell of her former self, but as always Felicity brushed them off.

It was just easier for her this way.

* * *

Even when, three months later, Oliver Queen returned from the dead again, _she didn't_.

Diggle, Lyla, Roy, Thea and Laurel all welcomed him back with tears of joy and hugs with a couple laughs but when he turned to Felicity, she did none of that. Instead saying "it's good to have you back" before leaving the lair and a distraught Oliver.

For weeks after they had told him what had happened when he was gone, Oliver constantly tried to convince her that it's safe to feel, that she wouldn't be hurt again but nothing worked.

For the first time in his life, Oliver was terrified and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

He was losing Felicity Smoak.

* * *

He absolutely hated the idea.

They were faced with a mission where they had no other choice but to bring Felicity with them into the mouth of hell.

They had to retrieve valuable information from the boss' computer to bring him and his whole gang down. However, as a nightmare turning into reality, their mission had gone wrong when another wave of unexpected guards had unexpectedly came rushing in.

Pushing Felicity behind them all, the group kicked into defence but as fate had another surprise up her sleeve; one of the guards had gotten loose and lined themselves up perfectly with Oliver.

Relying entirely on her instincts, Felicity dashed forwards and knocked Oliver out of the line of fire, not caring as the force of the impact alone sent her flying backwards into the concrete.

Warmth evaded her senses, adrenaline surging through her and wrapped her in its embraces sounds zoned out and blurred together, becoming distorted as the sound of the bullet soaring through the air ricocheted around her.

Nothing registered in that moment, not the fights ensuing around her, not her team rushing to her rescue of Oliver bellowing her name.

Silence, the silence of the night greeted her with open arms as the cover of nightfall took her under its wing.

* * *

"…NO!" Oliver roared, until his lungs flared in protest, rushing to her side as his team finished off the rest of the men, watching her fall in slow motion and her eyes closing in response, caused him pain in the greatest of forms.

Skidding to a halt on his knees, Oliver never stopped to wonder about the circumstances that presented themselves around him, he trusted his team with his life there was no doubt about that but Felicity was much more important than him.

Time around them sped up from him cradling her limp form in his arms with his gloved hand pressed tightly up against her bullet wound in the middle of her chest, to transporting her back to the lair.

He wondered how he kept going as Diggle shouted at him, forcing him into action when Felicity began flat lining on the table that he had previously had escaped death's clutches many times and holding Sara's dead body when Laurel had brought on the painful information to the rest of the team as they all burst into the lair.

As he desperately pleaded with her to fight for life, to breathe, Oliver soon found himself sobbing out her name whilst on the floor with his hand clutching hers like an anchor while Diggle, Roy, Thea, Lyla and Laurel all gathered around the med-bay praying to a God they most likely didn't even believe in that nobody would take the heart of the team.

"….please, come back to me" tears blurred his vision, not bothering to wipe away the ones that tracked down his face.

Without Felicity, they were all nothing but existence not truly living just surviving.

* * *

"Urgh…can somebody turn off that blasted light?" she groaned, throwing her arm over her eyes.

"Felicity" an all too familiar voice called out to her, forcing her eyes open whether she wanted them to or not, curiosity was a bitch. "Felicity…come on, get up"

"Fine…I'm up, I'm up…." She grumbled as she obeyed the voice.

"About time too"

Everything suddenly froze she knew that voice…that voice was one she never thought she'd hear again in her life.

"Sara?" as her eyes focused on the light, the blonde stood with her arms hanging by her sides, with a smile gracing her face.

"Hello Felicity" the second she heard Sara's voice speak, all her walls went crumbling down into dust.

"Oh God it is you…you're here…with me….how?" ignoring the tears stinging her eyes, Felicity's gaze never once left that of the other blonde's.

"You and the team were on a mission and you ran into trouble…a guard was about to shoot Oliver but you pushed Oliver out of the way and took the bullet to the chest" as the words flowed from her lips, Sara wandered forwards and clutched Felicity's petite ones in her own, warmth spiking her skin like daggers…it felt so real, so true.

"I couldn't see him die" Felicity felt her defences weakening as tears began trailing down her face, the truth finally spilling from her own lips after so long burying it so deep "…not after he came back"

"Felicity…you've got to stop this. You can't continue blocking everybody out because you're afraid to get yourself hurt again" the gentleness of the woman's features sent more tears flooding after the previous, leaving Felicity utterly uncontrollable over her own emotions.

"I can't…everything hurt so much before, with you dying and Oliver leaving and also dying….in my life all anybody's ever done is leave me, left me behind and wandered down their own path. I don't know how to let go of all this that I built over those three months…there's no more pain Sara, I can't feel pain and it's nice" she glanced over at the other blonde clutching her hands in her own, tears brimming in her eyes but refusing to let them fall.

"I know Felicity. I know what it's like to feel so much pain you just want to shut it all off but you can't….Digg, Roy, Lyla, even little Sara, my father, Laurel…_Ollie_…they all need _you_ to guide them Felicity, they can't do any of that without you being _you_. Do you understand?"

"How Sara…how can I go back to just allowing myself to be hurt again, why can't I do this one selfish thing for myself"

"Because it's not who you are, you're supposed to be their role model. Three years…in three years, and probably even longer than that, you've never strayed from your own light and it's relished them all in relief, it's made their lives and the weight they all carry bearable _because of you_. You have this way of getting people to lock up the doors of their past and just focus on the present, giving them something to hold onto when everybody else in the world may frown down upon them…that's why I practically fell in love with you when I first saw you, and Ollie's even said that himself. You may not see it but _we all_ see you as _the strongest_ person that we've ever met, when the city began to give up _you fought _for what you believed in, for what you _believe _in and you've never stopped fighting either. Sure it would just be easier to just give it all up, give in to the dark but then who would guide the team like you do?"

"I thought it was a weakness, to feel? Oliver doesn't let himself feel, why should I…I just get myself in trouble because of it?"

"Felicity look at me…feeling is not a weakness, its strength…when you bring your own emotions onto the battlefield it shows just how strong of a person you are to wield them to your advantage. Think about it, you used your love for Ollie to stop Slade once and for all, because of you none of us would've been able to do that…you saved the city by yourself. Your love, _you emotions_, gave you such a strength to do what you did with Slade…none of us would've even _dared _do that for the fear of being spotted there and then but you fooled him, you believed in yourself and look what good it did you"

Feeling her knees weakening, Felicity allowed her body to drop lifelessly to the ground beneath her.

"I'm scared Sara…I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing anymore…before it was so clear but now it's just…blurry"

Kneeling down in front of the blonde, Sara rested both hands on either shoulder and squeezed.

"Maybe it's time for you to create your own path then, go your own way instead of being led down it by someone else…it's okay to feel Felicity, getting hurt is what makes you all the more stronger for the next fight ahead of you. Life will never be easy on you, it will challenge you in every way possible, in ways you never thought possible, but it's your choice whether or not you let it knock you down or pull yourself back up out of the dirt again"

"I miss you, I miss having somebody to talk to…everything now it just, so dark"

"I'll always be there if you need someone to talk to Felicity, you don't have to look far for me, I'm everywhere…anywhere you want me to be, all you have to do is believe I'm there and I will be" weariness began pulling her down, dragging her through the storm and towards the calm. "Remember Felicity, courage is everywhere"

"What if I can't do it?"

"You can Felicity because everyone's behind you, even me….just remember this, when things get too hard to breathe stop and take a deep breathe"

Sara's voice started to become distorted as it too faded away into the shadows.

"Don't let your fear control you"

* * *

Sunlight tickled her eyelids as Felicity gained consciousness, birds serenading one another outside her window. Sunlight streamed in through the window, creating a spotlight around the bed and around the figure that lay stretched out on the nearby couch.

Oliver.

Blinking several times to focus her eyes, she automatically zoned in on the shadows under his eyes as scruff laid claim to his chin and cheekbones.

How long had it been since he last shaved?

Glancing around the room, taking in every last detail, Felicity instantly recognised herself not actually to be in her own bed at her house but rather than in the bed of Oliver's at most likely Thea's apartment.

Why was she here and not home?

Concentrating back on the memory of what had happened she remembered what Sara had told her about pushing Oliver out of the way of an incoming bullet like she had done for Sara once upon a time…..

Sara.

It struck her with an unbelievable force when she halted her thoughts and back tracked to actually seeing her, like nothing had happened, the same old Sara.

Tears welled up behind her eyelids at the fact that Sara had been speaking the truth…she hadn't left her when everyone else had.

Steering herself from releasing a sob at the memory of her friend, Felicity controlled her rambling thoughts and instead revolved her mind around the fact of releasing her hold of the walls guarding herself from her teammates.

Remembering the words the blonde had spoken to her, Felicity instead returned her thoughts to Oliver still sound asleep on the couch.

From first glance it looked to be like he hadn't actually slept for a good couple days at least, hence the stubble, she had probably caused him to much pain for forcing him through yet another encounter of near death like Sara, Tommy, Robert even Moira.

Shifting her body carefully from her neck down, searching for any potential injuries, the first thing she came across was the throbbing in her chest. From the feel of it, it had landed in the centre of her chest narrowly avoiding the area of her heart- something she had actually picked up and kept from biology lessons in college.

The sound of rustling brought her back from her thoughts and gently, Felicity eased her head to the left to look at Oliver as he began to awaken.

As she watched as he turned onto his side to face her, his face seemingly lighting up with such joy and relief when he met her gaze, Sara's voice returned to her mind once more making her words echo in her head as the man she loved with every piece of her rushed to her side and took her up in a hug, all the while being mindful of her injury.

As Felicity cautiously lifted her torso up from where it lay positioned comfortably on the pillows beneath her head, Oliver took the chance to slip both his arms around her figure.

_You can't continue blocking everybody out because you're afraid to get yourself hurt again._

No more avoiding the pain, the suffering this life caused her, she's the one who remained when she had received so many exit points…it was her choice to be part of this life.

The pain was hers to bear.

Breathing deeply, Felicity brought her arms around Oliver's neck and shoulder while burying her face in the crook of his neck. She could feel his body shaking as he sobbed into her neck, his arms like bands of steel around her waist while one of his hands cupped the nape of her neck, pressing himself into her side all the more.

"…I-I th-thought you were d-dead" his breathing stuttered against her skin causing goosebumps in its wake. "…I've lost too many, F-Felicity. I can't lose you as well. Not you Felicity…I can't…" he trailed off, sobs racking his body.

The fear of losing her after those few minutes were almost Oliver's very undoing. The second the team had managed to return Felicity to the lair, Digg was forced to use the defibrillator in a desperate attempt to shock a rhythm back into Felicity as she began flat lining.

As Oliver had watched his best friend try frantically to keep his partner alive, Oliver had felt a more intense feeling of fear than he had ever felt before in his life, including when the Gambit had gone down. After the point where Digg had had to use the defibrillator a third time, Oliver had lost it, sinking to his knees as his voice screamed out, pleading with hers to stay with them and not join those of whom had been previously lost.

Not even feeling as Laurel practically melted into his side, tears running free down her face also as Roy paced uncontrollably within the small area like a lion in its cage, dying to be let free.

Three times, his heart had been in his throat three times as Felicity's failed her and led to her flat lining, something she was never supposed to experience.

Her steady heartbeat had been like music to his ears, falling to his forearms as he rested his head against his fists.

When Digg had called out that she was stabilised and ready to be moved home to be in comfort, Oliver had wasted no time at all carrying her out of the lair and straight into his room, his bed, where he knew she was going to be safe.

Thea had already known about Oliver's secret from him and his team saving her from the clutches of her evil father, but when she witnessed her brother storming into the apartment they shared together with the rest of his friends in tow and an unconscious Felicity in his arms who looked like she'd been through hell and back, she didn't really know what to say. But the sight of Oliver in tears and not holding them back, now that brought the vice around her heart, constricting her lungs of all oxygen.

Never in her life had she ever seen such pain present on her brother's features, not even when faced with his own mother's murder.

"…I couldn't lose you either, especially after we just got you back" right now she didn't care if tears were tracking down her face, causing her eyes to become red and puffy.

Piece by piece parts of her walls that she'd spent so long building up around herself to defend herself from the pain and suffering of the world came crumbling down into ash, leaving her feeling as vulnerable as she once had felt those few months ago.

Fisting Oliver's shirt up, Felicity finally relinquished all the pain she'd been forced to take in her stride, for everything that's happened over the past few months and further.

The pain of her father leaving her, leaving Donna and herself as vulnerable to the world as ever, without so much as a goodbye on his account.

The loss of an almost-sister that had left them all shattered in her absence, left scrambling for closure for the truth that Sara Lance was truly within her grave. No more do-overs.

The heartbreak Cooper had caused her when he had taken the fall for something she should've gone down for and for making her think he had killed himself for all those years, only to return and point a gun in her face.

Then finally the blade that had almost taken Oliver, and her in the figurative sense, causing her such a fatal blow that was her undoing.

"I can't do this anymore Felicity…I can't lie to both of us knowing the truth…I can't live my life without you in mine, you are my light and I can't survive without it, I _won't _survive without it. Felicity I don't just want to be friends with you, I want to be more than that…I want to wake up with you in my arms and your heartbeat in my ear showing me that _you're alive _and this _is real_, that I'm not dreaming. I want to be the one to kiss you goodnight and good morning every single day for the rest of our lives. I don't care who tries to stop me…I want to be yours and I want you to be mine" as Oliver spoke he pulled back from her slightly to cup her cheeks within his hands like he had once done in the hospital, except this time she knew he had no intention of letting her go so easily without a fight.

Gathering her mind and thoughts together in one sole state, Felicity reached up to overlap his fingers with her own. Ignoring the feeling of Oliver's tightening grasp and the look of fear of her repelling him away from her once again Felicity's eyes darted between his lips and his eyes before licking her lips and speaking.

"I love you and I always will until my last breath" her words commanded so much of the attention of the room it almost shocked her if she hadn't been so focused on Oliver's features at the time. "I've never stopped loving you…I was just _terrified_ of being hurt again, that's why I closed myself off so much. I figured I couldn't be hurt if I didn't feel at all because all I could think about was the ones who had left me behind without them…and about you joining that list of people. My father, Cooper…Sara…I just couldn't do it anymore, the pain had gotten under my skin and was taunting me so much, I didn't know what else to do" a ramble escaped her lips and for so long Felicity had actually forgotten how much she had missed her own rambling, something she never thought she'd say.

"I am so incredibly sorry for the pain I caused you Felicity but I'm telling you now…I _promise _that I will always fight to return to you with everything I have left in me. I'll never leave you behind Felicity…you're too valuable to me to lose from my life"

As her breath faltered, Felicity decided to take a chance and brave through the potential pain her choice may cause.

She kissed him.

A second's hesitation was all it took for Oliver to respond to her advances, slipping his hand back to its original position at the nape of her neck to hold her lips to his own while the other banded round her waist, _needing _something to hold onto.

* * *

As the night drew near, Felicity glanced down at Oliver sound asleep with his head on her chest near her heart, she didn't need to be a genius to know that he had fallen asleep listening to the sound of her heart thumping away to the soundtrack of life.

Her fingers had somehow gravitated to his hair and were now trailing through the short tufts without truly thinking about the action.

When she heard gentle footsteps walking through the hallway towards Oliver's room, Felicity glanced up to see Thea near the door obviously not sure what to do as her hands never stopped moving from twirling a fistful of her shirt within her fingertips.

Shifting herself so she could raise her right arm, giving the young girl an invitation to join the two of them which she more than gladly accepted.

Ducking beneath Felicity's arm, Thea rested her head on the other side of her chest which wasn't currently being taken up by her brother while entwining hands with him before drifting off to a promise of safety and a glimpse of what family may have in store for the two remaining Queen's.

Felicity would never be quite sure as to what happened to her after the bullet pierced her chest but one thing was clear, Thea was most likely put in a position outside her comfort zone and enter into a region of the unknown.

Glancing down at the two Queen's asleep in a peaceful slumber with both their heads against her chest, Felicity felt a spike of warmth shoot throughout her entire body, something she hadn't felt since Sara's death all those months ago.

Before she too drifted into blissful oblivion, a tweeting was sung from outside the window. Looking towards the window in the far wall, her breath caught in her throat.

A canary.

Felicity didn't need to look at herself to know that she had tears brimming in her eyes with a sad smile gracing her features.

Sara's words were true no matter what way you saw it and there was no way Felicity could ever leave her team, _her family_, left to hang on themselves.


	45. Relax

**Oh it feels good to be back, I hoped you liked the latest chapter of 'Tropes' and just to tingle your taste buds, here's another update. **

**As always, leave a review and tell me your thoughts and if any, prompts are always welcome!**

**Thanks and enjoy x**

His muscles burnt as the ache of his workout gladly began making itself known. For the majority of the morning he'd spent his Saturday morning in the lair doing his usual workout, ending with the rope climb and salmon ladder, instead of just simply lying in with his girlfriend.

What the hell had he been thinking?

All he wanted to do was jump straight into an ice cold bath and cool his body down from where he had worked himself most likely way too hard today however he had a different image in mind that included him burying himself in Felicity's warmth and refusing to get up just for the reason being the sun was high in the sky.

Fishing the keys to their town house out of his cargo pants, Oliver opened the front door to the distinct sound of a male voice, rephrasing another _male _voice besides him coming from their living room.

Following the sound, the sight he was met with immediately took all his thoughts away from the voice he had heard, thankfully from the TV, as the sight of Felicity arched in a bridge position over on her yoga mat took centre stage in his mind.

She wasn't helping his imagination.

_It would be so simple just to slide in right behind her and-_

"Oliver? I thought you'd be home later on?" Felicity asked curiously, no source of expression on her face except the major one of relaxation, as she watched him from upside down.

"Nope decided to come home early to spend some time with you…just this wasn't how I expected it to be as soon as I got in" he frowned, tilting his head slightly to see Felicity's face right side up from the current upward facing two-foot staff yoga pose before him.

"Well I woke up and saw your note, decided to do something active with my morning. I do a little yoga every chance I get….besides what did you think I would be doing, still in bed asleep?" slowly and carefully lowering her back from the posture, Felicity paused the routine and turned to focus on her obviously aching boyfriend sitting on one of the arms of the couches.

"That's what I was hoping…urgh why couldn't I have just waited until tomorrow, today was the perfect laying in day where we could've just stayed in bed all morning" Oliver grumbled as he fell back onto the couch, his body protesting the movements as he flung an arm across his face in an attempt to block out the weariness caused by his workout.

"Let me guess you finished with the rope today didn't you?" Felicity's voice soothed him as two petite hands clutched at his shoulders, thanking God for her knowing exactly where to massage first.

One of the key factors about Felicity that he loved was that she knew him inside and out so even if no words were passed on the matter of _how _he had got the aching or where it was, Felicity just knew where to go.

Moaning in pleasure as he felt her hands travelling to the back of her shoulders slotting in behind him and turning him so that he could lay out on top of the couch with his girlfriend leaning over the top of him, it felt like absolute bliss.

As Oliver shifted relentlessly, Felicity smiled smugly. She knew exactly what the movement was for, whenever she took control of the situation around Oliver, not letting him touch her as she ran her fingers across the expanse of his skin she knew just the level of lust he felt in response.

"Felicity…" he trailed off as he whined for her, only causing Felicity to increase her touch but staying out of the distance enabling him to touch her, so what if she liked torturing him a little every noun and again.

A growl rumbled from his chest before she suddenly found herself flying back into the comfortable pillows of their couch with a weight situated between her legs. Looking up, her boyfriend's predatory gaze shone straight back making her stomach lift.

"I thought I warned you about doing that" he playfully snarled into her neck as he rubbed his scruff against the skin, a tingling feeling embracing her neck. Moaning when he moved his hips over her own teasing her with weight at her entrance, Felicity tried to keep a tight rein on her own emotions whenever Oliver tried things like this to test her. "You know what that does to me" when she glanced up and was met by a smug smile she realised her thoughts must've distributed themselves across her face, damn her dirty thoughts leave her alone with her own mind and god she'll have fun for _hours. _

A sense of competition washed over her, wanting to get back at him…so she did what he absolutely hates, and what she absolutely adores.

Trapping his hips between her thighs Felicity reached down, grasped hold of his arse and squeezed, making his hips collide with her own violently causing delightful friction that had even Oliver gasped for relief and oxygen.

_Yup, still love it_ she thought as she watched all colour fade from Oliver's eyes.

Not being able to help himself, he rocked his hips against Felicity's getting another series of moans from them both again before turning his gaze to his smugly smirking girlfriend lying beneath him.

_Oh it was on. _

"…Felicity…" blocking off any more of his sentence, Felicity quickly and unsatisfyingly pecked him on the lips with a brief kiss.

"Yes Oliver…something wrong?" tilting her head as she had done all those years ago when he had first officially met her, he felt a heavy wave of possessiveness coursing through his veins, making his body ignore his control and tighten, along with a deep growl like a wild animal about to devour its prey before he could put up any hope of a fight to stop it.

Felicity Smoak was definitely his undoing, almost a decade spent learning harsh control of his emotions, his body, all gone in a flash (pun intended) by a blonde currently purposely slowing wriggling her way deeper into the couch cushions.

"…you're so _mine_" crashing his lips against hers, Oliver allowed his beast out of the cage as there was no force in this world that would allow him to control himself with Felicity.

Slipping one hand beneath the nape of her neck and one under her waist, Oliver pressed her body as close as possible to his own while keeping their lips locked together at all times.

Sliding off the couch and pushing up to his own feet with Felicity attached to his front while her legs locked around his waist, urging herself against his length all the while making him growl alongside her efforts, he directed his feet towards their bedroom automatically, already knowing the route off by heart.

Taking the opportunity to drive Felicity into multiple walls and doors with his own body following closely behind, Oliver tapped into his control learnt from the island to keep himself from ravishing her right here, right now in this hallway.

"…hmmm…baby, I feel slightly hot right now…" disconnecting her mouth from his, Felicity made a show of whispering her words into his ear, so close that her breath teased his earlobe. "…and wet"

That was it for him.

Launching them both off the wall with his powerful forearms, Felicity barely managed to shut the doors as he crashed them both through the doorway, taking precautions that one of his arms were outstretched to keep from Felicity's shoulder colliding with the wood.

The second Felicity felt soft material beneath her back, Oliver was upon her and for the life of her she didn't want him to ever stop any of this.

Ever since she'd known him, he's kept himself so collected and isolated, controlled in such a manner it hurt her just watching his day-to-day activities. When they had first gotten together and spent the night in one another's arms Oliver had been so gentle and loving with her, it honestly made her feel like she was about to break but nevertheless she fought through it letting Oliver control the moment as he was the mainly the one that needed it more than her.

Sure she's been through a lot of crap in her life but she just felt that Oliver needed the reassurance that she wasn't going anywhere, and that they were okay the way they were. That mainly lasted the one night though, the many days following the events Felicity used every trick in her book to make him feel like he was about to snap, to make him lose his sense of control with her just to prove that she could handle it. It took a while but he eventually caught on, _or maybe it was from his special birthday present underneath his hood after a long day of being a CEO at a company that rattled his brain to a certain extent_ you know she wasn't quite sure.

Life like this was amazing and she didn't just mean having a boyfriend as amazing as Oliver either, _even though that was definitely true 100 %_, and there isn't a single thing for the life of her that she would want to change.

As both Oliver and Felicity lay there asleep in their bed with the sheets draped over their mid-sections and their legs tangled with one another's within each other's embrace, they realised as the dawn dawned of a brand new day.

They both had a reason to smile and it was only just the beginning of a brand new story, one that will live long in their minds.

The story of Oliver and Felicity.


	46. At Midnight

**Wow its been a long time since I uploaded a 'Trope' chapter. **

**As always, leave a review and tell me your thoughts. **

**Thanks and enjoy x**

One of the things that Oliver had never dropped even when he returned from the island both times was the fact that he didn't actually sleep all too well. There was always something that woke him up in the early hours of the morning and wouldn't allow him to go back off to sleep after that point. Sometimes it was just the wind, other times it was music from the neighbours or a TV turned on just that little bit too loud.

However, that all changed considerably when he finally began dating Felicity.

Sure it took a long arse time for him to get his own head out of his arse and realise he wasn't doing anybody any favours by prolonging his own torture for both himself, Felicity and even the team.

Felicity had been on a business date when the restaurant they were in got attacked by a gang in ski masks, of course the Arrow saved them along with the Arsenal and Black Canary but what mattered most was that Felicity got _shot at _leaving a graze where it had barely even dodged her, she had responded that she'd never thought she would ever thank going a limbo class when she was younger.

To say what actually made him feel safe enough to actually sleep since the island experience, he couldn't be sure but whenever he's sleeping with Felicity he drifts off sometimes even before she does. That's probably one of the things he loves most about being in a relationship with Felicity, waking up to a decision that he would never in his life ever possibly end up regretting.

As he leisurely woke because of a reason unknown to him, the first thing he noticed was the missing warmth he was always met with as he moved his arm over Felicity's side of their bed, that being a major reason in itself caused his eyes to shoot open.

On normal nights the two of them slept with Felicity burrowed into Oliver's side as his arm curled round her side, hugging her to his body.

Glancing beside him, Oliver scanned the crumpled sheet beside him to find his girlfriend definitely missing from his side.

Pushing himself into a sitting position, Oliver began searching for any means of evidence of where she went. Calling out her name he was met by nothing but silence, a sound that resembled nothing to Felicity.

Giving their townhouse one more thorough search top to bottom, Oliver began to worry about where in fact she was.

The majority of the time whenever Felicity left she either left him a note or a message, heck even an email, just to let him know where she would be and until when.

Throwing on some cargo pants, Oliver snatched up the car keys from the bowl on the island and headed for the door, determined on getting to the Foundry as soon as possible to turn on her tracker she had allowed for him to place in her show, as they had done in everyone's shoes.

If someone had stopped him right then, he would've noticed how hard his heart was currently pounding in his chest.

* * *

Going as fast as the speed limit would allow, all Oliver's instincts were blaring on maximum as he navigated his way through the Glades.

Something catching the corner of his eye halted him in his tracks, also making him slow and park his car near the sidewalk as a glimpse of blonde hair made him hold his breath.

As his chest rumbled with a growl, Oliver exited the car and slammed the driver side door as he crossed in front of the bonnet and strode right up to the blonde, who was fishing a carton of _ice cream _out of the plastic bag she had just brought out of the shop.

"Felicity…what the hell" he snarled at her, the animal inside him pacing furiously, hands clenching into fists in some attempt to control his anger.

"…oh Oliver…I didn't think you'd be up at this time…" she trailed off, clutching at the bag to stop the nervous shakes from claiming her, now seeing the effect her actions had on him.

"Neither did I, but apparently you like going out shopping at one o'clock in the bloody morning for _ice cream_!" struggling to keep his anger tied to a point, Oliver reminded himself to breathe deeply as his eyes shut tight. "I woke up because I didn't have you sleeping beside me. But really Felicity...ice cream? Couldn't you have just waited until the morning?"

"Not with cravings I can't, they want what they want, when they want heck with the what the time is" Felicity replied, trying again to fish the ice cream out of her bag without being interrupted this time as Oliver continued to stare at her until her words sank in.

She had cravings.

"…you're…we're going to have a….be…" he stumbled over his words as his eyes locked into Felicity's, whose were currently in the mini choc chip.

"Going to have a baby and be parents, yep, now if only I had a spoon…" she announced without looking him in the eye, muttering to herself about not bringing a spoon. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, he couldn't help but star at her now flat stomach.

Before Felicity could get the lid of the carton open, Oliver was wrapping his arms around her shoulders and waist, tugging her towards the passenger side of the car.

* * *

To say he freaked out would probably be an understatement, what he actually did was explode.

As Oliver continuously paced in the living room Felicity waltzed into the kitchen, snatched up a spoon, and returned to take a seat on the couch while digging in to her mint choc chip.

"…no, you can't do this anymore Felicity. You can't just go out in the middle of the night because you're craving something…you wake me up. I don't like you being out in the Glades at night alone but _pregnant_, that's just…no, just no is the answer to that. You understand me Felicity, when you're craving something and we haven't got it or it's on a too-high-to-reach shelf etc. you wake me up alright Felicity?" turning his desperate and pleading gaze to his girlfriend, laying himself down to rest his head in her lap.

Out of pure habit, she began running her fingers through his short tufts of hair, making his eyes flutter closed and lean into her touch.

"Promise me you won't go shopping late at night anymore Felicity" not bothering to open his eyes, Oliver turned onto his side and used one of Felicity's thighs as a pillow as she sat crossed legged beneath his head at the end of the couch.

"…I promise no more late night shopping…but I'm not promising anything for during the day, if this little munchkin wants something they're going to be bothering _me _more than _you_" the nickname she had already given _their baby _made him chuckle deeply, sighing inwardly as he felt her light massage soothe the tension right out of his muscles, easily falling into a light sleep.

* * *

Looking down at Oliver sleeping against her thigh, her fingers running through his hair as her eyes focused on the TV screen, Felicity thought about the whole baby situation, subconsciously circling her fingers across her belly which held the little treasure within.

It felt surreal, like a dream that she hadn't woken from yet.

Smiling down at both her hand lay out over the top of her belly protectively while Oliver drifted into a blissfully deep and peaceful sleep.

Before she too fell asleep, Felicity felt Oliver's hand splay over the top of her own, plastering a smile on her face.

* * *

Opening his eyes as he felt Felicity slip from his grasp, he watched as she wandered out of the bedroom and to the kitchen, the iconic sound of the freezer opening meeting his ears and making him smile.

Thank god he thought to collect an extra two cartons on his way back from the Foundry.

Something he'd grown quite used to during Felicity's pregnancy is keeping track of where she was, mostly meaning he was awake in case she needed to make a quick trip to the bathroom.

As Oliver glanced over at Felicity as when made her way back into the bedroom, slipping back into her original position beneath Oliver's arm, smiling and snuggling in further to his side as she got comfy, falling asleep easily against her boyfriend- or as she called him, her personal furnace.

Taking the chance to look down at her figure huddled up against his own with the moonlight casting a silhouette around her and her speed bump of a belly, Oliver relished in just how lucky he was to have her in his life.

God, he can't wait for their child to be born.


	47. On a Chilly Night

**I actually found this one dug deep in my documents, so here it is, hope you like it. **

**As always, leave a review and tell me your thoughts. **

**Thanks and enjoy x**

As soon as she exited her house, Felicity was hit by a huge gust of wind that almost knocked her right off her feet. Wrapping her coat round herself all the more, Felicity trudged on in the direction of her car.

Oliver had called her into the Foundry because he needed to speak to her, probably something to do with their nightly activities so hence the reason she found herself currently driving through the Glades about a week from Christmas day.

Abruptly something caught the corner of her eye.

A man was pacing back and forth before all but charging into a group of dumpsters.

What the hell?

Paying slightly more attention now, Felicity's mind registered the sight of a pair of little feet peeking out from beneath the dumpster hidden away in the corner.

A strange protective instinct suddenly took her over and caused her to park her car to the side of the path, snatching her Taser from her purse- thanks to Oliver and Digg for pursuing her to convince her to keep it there in case of any situation where she's forced to defend herself or in this case somebody else, which Oliver didn't really like the sound of altogether, he's just too protective of her for his own good –and ran towards the man.

Defence moves booted up her system as she engaged the man and sent a couple hundred volts of electricity cackling into the man's side, sending him crashing into the floor and proceeding to flap around like a fish out of water.

"Urgh, insufferable creep" Felicity muttered to herself before a small voice broke her out of her trance staring at the man on the floor in front of her.

"Is he gone?" her voice sounded so fragile as though she was about to break any second.

Turning her head slightly to the right, Felicity saw a brown-haired little girl who looked to be about four years old. She wore a black and white striped shirt, light blue jeans, purple converses and finished off by a pink coat, the hood cushioned in around her neck.

"It's alright to come out now, it's safe. Are you alright, he didn't hurt you did he?" apparently her soft voice calmed the young child because she stepped away from the dumpster she had been hiding behind and towards Felicity. Shaking her head, Felicity continued, moving to kneel down in front of the girl, thankfully she had decided to wear jeans and a t-shirt otherwise this would be awkward. "Are you lost?"

"I…I don't know…I don't know what to do. P-p-please, can you help me…I don't know what to do!" the little girl began bawling her eyes out, burying her face in Felicity's neck as her breathing stuttered and tears soaking Felicity's coat shoulder, trying to reign in any fraction of control she had left.

"Hey, hey you'll be okay. How about I take you to the police station and we'll see if they can help you, alright?" feeling her little head bob up and down in a nod, Felicity moved to get to her feet but was met with resistance when the girl refused to release her hold on her coat so instead Felicity settled on gathering the young girl up in her arms who wrapped her legs about her waist to hold herself closer to Felicity.

* * *

It had just rolled into the second hour in which Felicity should've been at the lair and now Oliver couldn't help but pace continuously, the only way he could think of to calm his anxiety. He had called and texted her phone so many times he had lost count, so decided to call in the rest of the team members.

"She should've been here by now, where is she?" he all but growled at the several other members of his team that sat taking deep breaths and attempting to do something, _anything _they could to help calm Oliver but nothing seemed to work.

Picking up his phone, he called for the ten-millionth time but received the same answer.

Goddamn voicemail.

Just when Digg was about to answer, Oliver's phone went off. Looking at the caller I.D, he let out a disappointed breath when he saw it was Lance.

"Lance" Oliver answered as he picked up.

"Queen, I thought you would like to know that Felicity is down here at the police station right now. Would you like to inform me as to why she's here?"

"What? She's at the station? I have no idea why she's there. Hold on, I'm just leaving. I'll be there as soon as I can" hanging up the call with Lance, Oliver practically ran out of the lair and to his car.

* * *

Shifting her head against the wall into a more comfortable position, Felicity waited on the news on Miranda. She had found out her name whilst waiting, while the girl in question slept peacefully in her arms. She honestly looked like she hadn't slept for a while; the question on what had actually happened to the young girl was a thought that hadn't left her alone since they had both arrived at the station.

Her little body was currently curled up in a ball in her lap with her head burrowed in her neck while her arms remained clutching Felicity's jacket.

When Miranda had begun shivering, Felicity had removed her coat and wrapped it around the girl's chest in an attempt to keep her warm and apparently it was enough to do so for the time being but it also served as a means of comfort the small girl, who burrowed herself further into Felicity.

When she felt a presence to her left, Felicity looked over to meet the gaze of Oliver, who was just striding through the entrance.

"Felicity" he breathed out her name in an exhale with relief before his eyes settled on the sleeping figure of the girl in her arms. "What…um, who is that?" noting on keeping his voice just above a whisper, making sure not to wake her up in the process.

"Her name's Miranda, I found her hiding behind a dumpster away from a man who I _may or may not have tased_"  
"You _tased_ someone? Did he hurt you?" in the blink of an eye his body had tensed considerably and his voice had taken up the growly tone he typically used when someone threatened somebody that he cared for.

"No he didn't. Right now I'm just waiting for somebody to come back with Miranda's results so I know she's going to be alright and go home to her family"

"You're too kind-hearted for your own good I swear. Here, let's see if I can bump things along" Oliver laid his right hand on her leg before moving to the front desk of reception, ignoring the sharp shots of heat that blasted through his arm at the contact.

"Hi, is there any news on the little girl by the name of Miranda? She came in a while ago and has been waiting for quite a while" he said with his best fake smile plastered on his face, annoying slightly for the length of time Felicity had actually been _here, waiting._

"Of course, somebody will be right with you, they're just collecting the last of the DNA. Sorry for your wait sir" bowing his head slightly, Oliver joined Felicity in the waiting room before one of the detectives remerged from the room at the back.

Sitting up straight, waking Miranda in the doing who looked around with wild eyes, the man came to kneel down in front of the child as he started to speak.

"Ok sweetheart, what do you say about finding your parents?" he asked the tone typically used around children but obviously not providing her with nay means of comfort.

Shaking her head, Miranda clung onto Felicity all the more as the man changed tactics and tried to remove her from Felicity's lap, attempting to shake her grip to loosen it to try and yank her away.

In her peripheral vision, Felicity spied Oliver's forehead crinkling as he frowned, muscles tensing subtly but she knew him better than most. She knew his train of thoughts in certain situations and this wasn't any different.

"NO!" Miranda screamed, tears pooling in her eyes.

"Hey, it's okay. It's alright" at Felicity tender voice, the young girl slowed her movements to a closing point but still hung on tight. Looking down at the little girl, Felicity removed the detective's hands from her arms and turned Miranda's face towards her. "I promise you that I'll be right here waiting for you when you come out, okay?"

"…promise?" tears were evident in her voice but they weren't as bad as before but were still present as the girl pulled her head from its position being buried in Felicity's crook of her shoulder.

"Promise, think about it like this, the sooner you go in then the sooner you can come out" feeling the girl shakily nodding her head in confirmation, Felicity watched as the two people made their way into one of the several rooms down the corridor, Miranda still wearing her coat, pulling it tighter around her as if to ward of a nightmare.

"Miranda seems to have formed quite a close bond with you" Oliver spoke in low terms as he settled more into the chair beside her, their shoulders touching.

"We've been sat here waiting for what seems like an eternity but I'm not really sure how that 'bond' formed in the first place to be entirely truthful with you" she spoke around a yawn as her head went back to rest against the back of the chair she occupied.

"It's actually quite hard _not _to fall in love with you, no matter how long they spend with you….come here" before she could even move a single muscle, Oliver's arm was wrapped around her shoulder and he was tilting her until her head came to rest against the crook of his neck, he arms remaining around her shoulder.

"Sorry if I worried you or the team…I just couldn't leave her on her own"

"Don't worry they heard the call I took with Lance, they know where you are. Are you tired?" Oliver asked as he nuzzled his nose against her temple, hearing Felicity's contented sign, he already knew her answer.

"…little…bit…"

"Take a nap, I'll wake you when Miranda comes back" her response was a deep breath before he felt her even breaths and her head nestling into his neck, making him smile.

"…gladly…done…"

* * *

It turned out that the poor girl had suffered more than Felicity could've imagined. Primarily her biological parents had perished in a car accident when she was only at the age of two, leaving her as an orphan to the world.

Skipping orphanage to orphanage, foster family to foster family, it was clear that no matter how much she tried to make herself fit in and feel comfortable none of it helped as she never felt _safe,_ so she did the only action she actually knew how to do at her age.

Run.

The second Miranda had finished with the all the tests, to say she sprinted back to Felicity's arms would be an understatement. Upon hearing the increased footsteps as the young brunette came dashing down the hallway, Felicity only managed to stand up in time as the girl's petite body crashed with her own, returning them both to their original position with Miranda's legs locked around her waist and head in the crook of her neck. Oliver watching in awe as the four year old girl that had never even known an ounce of the feeling of safety made herself at home in Felicity's arms. Pushing to his feet to stand beside his girl Wednesday, he smiled at Miranda as his arm went around Felicity's waist to firmly pull them both into his side.

The detective working Miranda's case must've known that he wasn't going to be winning the fight when it came to separating the girl from the blonde woman whispering hushed tones into the small girl's ear for he gladly gave temporary guardianship to Felicity for a couple of weeks while they found her a new foster home.

Watching as Felicity carried the now sleeping girl to her car and carefully laid her out on the back seat with such ease seemed to spark at something inside him that he'd forced himself to lock down deep inside him since the disaster of their first date and the events of his fake-but-not-completely-fake death.

Dreams about having a family with Felicity, the idea of little pitter-patters of tiny feet as children with curly brown hair and deep blue eyes laughing carelessly as they danced with their mother and launched into a tickle attack with their father.

If only.

"Oliver?" Felicity's gentle voice snapped him out of his trance as her petite hand landed on his shoulder. "It's okay, you can go now if you want, I'm just going to take Miranda back to my place and tuck her in for the night…wow, now that's something I never thought I'd be saying for quite some time" she huffed in silent laughter at her own words, bringing a smile to his face as well.

"Nope, I'm coming with you tonight…if that's alright, just to give me a peace of mind"

"What about your bike?" nodding towards his motorbike parked near the entrance of the hospital, Felicity turned quickly seemingly to check in with the still sleeping girl in the back seat before returning her gaze back to him again.

"I'll just text Roy and see if he can pick it up for me I'm more concerned with you…and Miranda"

"She's got you hooked too hasn't she?" as a broad smile stretched across Felicity's face, Oliver couldn't help himself but hope that they'd be more where that came from.

"As if you'd have to ask"

"Come on then before she wakes up" taking up her hand in his own, and stealing her keys from her left hand, Oliver tugged her back towards her car.

One thing Oliver really did appreciate was persuading her to trade her old mini in for a new more advanced car so she had ended up with a black ST Ford Focus which saying now, _thank you God_.

* * *

Tucking Miranda in the bed in her guest room, Felicity read her a quick bedtime story before rising to leave.

"Lissy?" her small voice instantly snapped her attention to the small figure in the bed.

"Yeah" wandering back over to sit on the side of the bed as Miranda twirled her fingers around each one of her opposite hand, the nervous motion automatically noticed; Felicity laid her hand over the girl's. "What's up?"  
"…it's just that one of the things that I remember from…my mum…is that she used to sing to me at night…if you could, do you think you could sing to me?"

"Sure" at her instant answer, the girl's face shot up with such enthusiasm and joy it made Felicity's heart sing.

"Really"  
"Course…alright, lay back and get comfortable while I think of one for you ok?" the sound of the duvet rustling as she did just that met her ears, making her smile easily.

Felicity didn't have to think for very long before the name of the song came drifting into mind, a song she used to love singing when she was young, 'Dream' by Priscilla Ahn.

_I was a little girl alone in my little world, who dreamed of a little home for me. _

_I played pretend between the trees and fed my house guest bark and leaves and laughed in my pretty bed of green. _

_I had a dream that I could fly from the highest swing, I had a dream._

_Long walks in the dark through woods grown behind the park, I asked God who I'm supposed to be. _

_The stars smiled down at me God answered in silent reverie, I said a prayer and fell asleep. _

_I have a dream that I could fly from the highest tree, I have a dream. _

Humming to the theme, Felicity watched as Miranda's eyes began to flutter closed, making a smile plaster itself onto her face without even thinking of the action.

_Now I'm old and feeling grey I don't know what's left to say, about this life I'm willing to leave._

_I lived it full and I lived it well, there's many tales I lived to tell_

_I'm ready now….I'm ready now….I'm ready now….to fly from the highest swing._

_I had a dream._

Humming through the end of the song, Felicity smiled as she tucked the duvet around Miranda's figure and up to her chin. Not helping herself, she leaned down as laid a kiss down on her forehead before slowly leaving the room, stopping to switch off the light and smile at the silhouette of the young girl, leaving with damp eyes at the thought of being a mother, of singing to her own children later on in her life.

When Felicity walked into the living room, if she noticed Oliver too red and puffy around his eyes and looking at her with a watery smile, she didn't say anything about it.

* * *

"Thank you by the way Oliver, I really do appreciate you staying with me in the station, and not just for letting me fall asleep on your shoulder" Felicity said from where she had slipped from her position leaning against the back of the couch and currently lying on her side with her head on Oliver's thigh as a pillow, a purple throw blanket normally thrown over the back of the couch now tucked under her head and wrapped around her body, Oliver's hand resting on her shoulder.

"Anytime Felicity, just call or whatever and I'll be there always" he smiled down at her, taking in the whole oversized MIT shirt and PJ bottoms, her hair flowing over her shoulders making her look angelic, while he sat in his own version of PJ's he had quickly thrown into an overnight bag when they had stopped by his new place. He was never really one for traditional PJ's so instead he wore an old shirt of his father's (the feeling still resembled a memory of when he had once stolen the shirt all those years ago when he younger, it had been massive on him and kept tripping him up as he attempted to walk away with it) and dark green plaid bottoms (Felicity couldn't look at him without smiling for a good few minutes and nor did it take him long to join her).

The sound of footsteps descending down the staircase caught both of their attention as they huddled up on the couch watching reruns of Doctor Who, getting them both to turn towards the voice over their shoulders.

"Lissy…I-I can't sleep..." her brittle voice spoke as Miranda moved closer to the couch. "…can I stay with you two for a while? Please?"

"…of course you can" sliding up from Oliver's lap to a sitting position with her ankles crossed on the coffee table, she lifted her arm and blanket and without thought, Miranda ducked beneath her arm and settled in against her side and tucked in underneath the blanket. "I didn't get the chance to introduce him before but Miranda, this is Oliver, one of my best friends" leaning back so they could see one another, Miranda remained close to Felicity.

"Hi Miranda, nice to meet you" holding out his hand to the girl, she seemed to stare at it for a while before perking up the courage to take it and shake his hand, smiling slightly however forced it may seem.

He'd change that for sure.

"How you feeling"

"…tired but…I'm wide awake" she pouted slightly, getting him to smile.

"Ah, I've had that feeling before. You feel like you could fall asleep at any moment but the second you close your eyes, nothing happens" Oliver's answer got her gaze hurriedly joining his.

"Yeah that's it, exactly…um, what do you do?"

"Mostly…watch TV or do something until I actually feel tired enough to fall asleep"

Nodding her head in response, the three of them relaxed into the couch while the doctor and Rose met for the first time and saved the world from plastic manikins.

* * *

Glancing down at the girl currently drifting under the pull of sleep, Felicity smiled at her efforts.

"Hey, I'll be here when you wake up, promise" the words slipping out of her mouth so easily it would've scared her if she wasn't in this current situation.

"…'night mum…." as soon as the words registered Felicity froze, looking at the young girl so vulnerable to the world…it hurt just thinking about it.

Huffing out a deep breath, she felt an arm wrap around her shoulders and pull her into a warm solid surface.

Oliver.

She'd forgotten he was there actually she'd been so focused on Miranda she didn't actually notice anything else going on around her at the time.

"You alright" Oliver whispered into her ear, rubbing his hand up and down her arm.

"I never thought I'd hear someone call me that" huffing out a forced laugh, trying to cover the tears trying to barge their way through.

Making sure to keep her right arm secure around Miranda, Felicity found herself moving to lie her head on Oliver's shoulder again, starring off into space as her thoughts clouded her mind.

As she smiled at the thought of her own family in some future point of her life, Felicity's eyes leisurely blinked shut, laughing under her breath.

"What's got you smiling?" Oliver asked.

"…oh you know, just lost in my thoughts" she replied before finally falling asleep, feeling content with a strange fluttering warmth in her stomach.

"Oh I know" smiling at the blonde.

* * *

Oliver could barely remember when in fact he thought about having kids himself, the whole idea of a house with a white picket fence and little mini-him and his partner running round the place.

Something he definitely knew though was when he did think about what his kids would look like all he could see was Felicity.

A child with both features from both Felicity and himself, now that was a dream he wished for with every wish he received.

Glancing down at the two women in his arms, Oliver smiled at the potential future he could see, the future family he craved with the one remarkable woman he could barely even knew the strength and courage of.

* * *

Things moved pretty rapidly following the event of Miranda, mostly with Felicity and Oliver beginning a relationship together, Miranda staying with them in Felicity's townhouse. On her fifth birthday, her present from the couple was the image of a life staying with them…_permanently_, to which she screamed in joy and jumped into both their arms and sobbing her heart out.

* * *

Years after adopting Miranda, Oliver proposed to Felicity and spent their honeymoon with one another in Spain while Roy and Thea looked after Miranda. When Miranda was eight years old, she too celebrated the birth of her little twin brother and sister.

Altogether, Oliver couldn't have asked for anything more than he already had.

It was his dream come true.


	48. In His Arms

**I was watching a movie and this idea just sort of popped into my head, combined with the fighting Oliver and Felicity are going through right now in the series so I decided to put what I really want to happen in the series. If this does happen, I'll be smiling for probably decades following. **

**Anyways, leave a review and tell me your thoughts.**

**Thanks and enjoy x**

Reminding herself why in fact she attended this damn gala in the first place, Felicity glided across the dance floor housed in the foyer of the _Queen mansion_.

_Argh, we did she have to do this to herself?_

Over the past few weeks things had changed significantly, some for the better others not so much. Thea and Oliver gained back their wealth from a trust fund courtesy of Malcolm Merlyn, _she still hated the man_, and Ray gave back the ownership over to Oliver but remained as a financial partner in the long term.

Then there was the part concerning her and Oliver, a topic she had managed to stay clear of for a few weeks now but wasn't holding her breath that she was going to be able to continue at the pace Oliver was going to try and talk to her. Weeks following the epic disaster of their first date then her relationship with Ray and finally the return of _Queen Consolidated not Palmer Technologies _back to its rightful owner of a CEO, Felicity had spent the good majority of the time avoiding Oliver like the plague.

But honestly can you blame her?

Avoiding the guy who told her not to ask him to say he never loved her before letting her go for the fear of losing her – doesn't even see that in doing so, he's already losing her, telling her he loved her again then going and _dying _and making them, _her_, believe he was dead only to return to tell them he was working with Merlyn who killed his own son, _Oliver's best friend and step brother_, then used his daughter to kill Sara.

So yeah, can you blame her?

One thing she hadn't counted on though was how much Oliver would fight her on her distancing herself from him, through both at QC and the Foundry. What she had expected of him was to go running back to Laurel as she doesn't know the true him, Arrow-ego included, so could continue to live a sort of mucked up life around her 'personal bubble', as she called it. Even being here wasn't an exception, the sheer amount of times Oliver had tried to approach her was gobsmacking but as her favourite routine and one that was quite effective, Felicity had avoided him by dancing with, she was sure, every man in the room.

Yep, she had even forced herself to dance with an attempting-to-be groping Bruce Wayne, who probably was sending a certain Queen a smirk but she couldn't care less. Palmer though had been a much more comfortable dance partner as he saw right through what she was doing and smiled down at her, winking in show that he was willing to help where he could, getting her to smile back automatically.

Glancing through the crowd at the sight of 'gorgeous' Laurel waltzing past people of all sorts attending the gala dressed in her short silver sequined mesh bandeau strapless dress that really emphasised herself in a certain chest area, making her mind glee in the laugh of someone sneaking up behind her and tug it down.

_Fine, maybe having a mind like hers really did come in handy in some places making her laugh and smile and sort of enjoy her time. _

Trying to disappear within the vast sea of people, Felicity's step halted as a voice cut out over the tops of people's head, making the hair on the back of her neck stand on end before she can help it, eyes bolting tight in response.

"Felicity"

_Damn it, why did he always manage a reaction out of her, not that he'll ever know that though. _

Exhaling deeply, Felicity spun round and held her chin high, not allowing herself to show him the effect he had over her.

Opening her mouth to speak, Felicity was cut off by an iconic female voice that for once in her life she found thanking her lucky stars for the timing of the interruption.

"Ollie? Do you want to dance?" Laurel asked, completely bypassing Felicity and coming to stand at his side with her back turned towards the I.T genius, who tried to take the opportunity to fade back into the crowd planning to leave to try and find Diggle, Lyla, Roy or somebody who she didn't feel like currently strangling.

"Sorry Laurel, Felicity's already reserved this dance" his voice caused her head to snap his direction with a look of hatred directed at him. "I already saved this one specifically for her at the beginning of the night"

Taking the time to hear at what the song was, she froze again when it registered.

It was a slow song…rephrasing….a slow song that required two dancers to reduce all of the space between them, dancing _intimately_.

"No, I think I'm going to pass on this one…thanks" chancing her luck at turning away towards the crowd and hopefully Diggle's direction, Felicity couldn't even manage one step that way before a hand caught her own and stopped any possible further movements away from him.

"I promised you though, besides I can't break a promise" the expression plastered across his face was the one when he knew he was about to get what he wanted, she knew that face all too well. "Maybe another time Laurel"

Oliver muttered, tugging Felicity along behind him to the dance floor.

Screaming at herself internally for letting herself fall into his trap, Felicity tried a last attempt to keep herself at a distance but that plan was soon demolished as Oliver banded one arm about her waist and pressed her in close to him that was border lining on being socially acceptable, his other hand caging her own petite one, the contrast of texture of their skin a welcoming feeling.

_Oh, so shooting that emotion down before they get anywhere further. _

Not being able to help herself, Felicity remembered all the time she linked the feeling of being in Oliver's arms to the warmth of safety, something she hadn't felt in a while for she refused to believe anything besides technology since the whole Cooper and Government affair. It had just been easier for her to cope that way, not feeling anything besides the usual strain of a typical life.

"You've been avoiding me" he spoke from where his head was basically burrowing into the side of her neck, a feeling her body accepted but mind however didn't.

Keeping her gaze off over his shoulder at the exit, Felicity drifted off into the world of her mind, planning her escape as soon as the song finished.

She didn't get very far.

"Felicity…come on, talk to me. We haven't spoken since-" Oliver tried.

"-since you partnered yourself up with a murderer?" she whispered harshly so only they would be able to hear her.

As her mind unfortunately decided to remind her of all the events that had taken place, Felicity endeavoured to pull back from Oliver's hold but it seemed that he refused to relinquish his hold of her, just simply tightening his arm on her waist.

"Felicity…please can we not speak about this here, can't we talk about something else?"

"I'd rather not personally…life's not fair, that's what makes it hard for the living because where would the point be if it was easy?" shifting her head so her line of sight looked in the opposite direction of Oliver, Felicity felt him shift them both closer somehow.

"I didn't come to argue with you Felicity…can't we just go back when it was just you and me, as best friends"

"Before or after the RPG?" the sharp breath from him answered her question.

"Mind if I cut in?" Laurel's voice came from her right as Oliver's hand pressed against the dip of her back, fusing her chest to his in his silent protest.

"Nope, not at all. Enjoy your evening" was all she said, turning on her heel and striding out of the room like she was just burnt and truth be told, she was.

Not really aware of where exactly she was heading, Felicity smiled when she caught sight of the balcony.

* * *

The moment he had spotted her within the crowd, Oliver's heart began pounding in his chest at just the sight of her. Divine beauty.

Dressed head to toe in a floor length black sheath halter V-neck chiffon dress that had sequins glittering in the moonlight streaming in through the window, making her chest shimmer and running down the left side of her dress until reaching the slit in the side. The image of her bare thigh making his mouth run dry in that sole moment, there and then making him picture things he didn't regret. The simple makeup making a smoky effect, highlighting her perfect features.

Her current wavy hairstyle made each individual strand of hair look so inviting, making him want to touch each one to see if they were truly as soft as they looked, as it all piled on top her head before cascading down in a stream of light down her back, her light shining so dazzling bright.

As he watched as Felicity danced with Wayne, Palmer and an endless list of others, he knew she was avoiding him and doing a marvellous job too.

But he wasn't giving up that easily.

Making his way up behind her, her name slid off his tongue so easily it was as if it had been made for him to say. A visible shiver ran through her before she turned to face him that made him wince.

Clutching hold of her hand, he hardly hesitated as he swung her round and brought her so close to him he was able to burrow his face in her neck, brushing his stubble against the skin of her neck.

Words flowed between them both and sooner than he would've liked, way too soon for his likings, Laurel had to interrupt them.

Placing his hands careful in the acceptable places, Laurel tried moving herself all far too close to his body, his own gaze off over her shoulder as he watched his girl walk in a direction unknown to him. The instinct to follow her was overwhelming.

When it came to Felicity, he always wanted to go running after her but forced himself to do otherwise for he craved her light, the only thing brightening his life up from the darkness that had been claiming him since the accident of the Gambit.

If she only knew how valuable she was to him…utterly priceless, nothing in the world could bypass the light beaming from the seams of her very being, making him want to bathe in the light for the rest of his life.

_Whoa, where did that come from?_

* * *

Wrapping her arms round her body, Felicity closed her eyes as a gentle gust of wind combed through her hair, making her feel as light as a feather. One of the things she loved to do as a child was when it was windy, even the slightest, she would always close her eyes and just feel the wind as if she could feel the whole universe. It's been one of the things that she's never grown out of and she doubts that she ever will.

It just makes her feel more peaceful and content.

Goosebumps spread across the expanse of her skin as two arms slid themselves over the top of her own, surrounding her in all too familiar warmth that caused her breathe to hitch in her throat.

"Oliver, what are you doing?" she frowned at his actions whilst pulling away from him, or trying to at least but not expecting him to hold onto her as if she was his sole lifeline in a world full of darkness.

"I'm sorry…." Pausing slightly as Felicity again tried her luck at pulling away from his hold but holding on tight. "…I'm sorry for kissing you then letting you go in that hospital, I'm sorry for making you think I was dead…I'm sorry for convincing myself that Merlyn was my only way of defeating Ra's but mostly I'm so sorry for pushing you away when actually I should've been pulling you closer to me" spinning her round in his arms, Oliver pulled her as close as he possibly could to him and held her there. "I'm done…I'm done making myself believe that I can't be two different people at once. I want you Felicity, I want you in every way possible and I don't care if I'm being selfish because I've found that with you as long as we're together, I don't care where we are in the world…as long as I'm with you"

"How do I know this is all real? How do I know that next chance something bad happens you won't push me away all over again?"

Cupping her face Oliver looked at her,_ truly_ looked at her, and smiled.

"Because without you, my life would be nothing but complete and utter darkness" he spoke with such command it make her shiver just listening to him.

"How can I believe you though, that this is all true?"

"What besides the part where I may have said that you're my girlfriend to Laurel to get me out here with you, then a whole fight issued following it where she accused me that I would do nothing but cheat on you and me saying I would could never possibly cheat on my guiding light, my soul mate?" tilting his head to the side slightly to gauge her reaction, he continued. "You know for the first time in what feels like forever, you're the first woman to make me consider having an actual future with?" as her mouth made an 'O', Oliver looked into her eyes to see tears staring him back with a watery smile beginning to plaster itself across her face.

Taking the chance to look at him, Felicity scanned his features and saw a raw truth surging beneath the surface, making her smile.

Balancing on the tips of her toes Felicity didn't think about her actions, she just crashed her lips to Oliver's, who returned the gesture with equal fever as colours danced across the sky, showering them both in light but not nearly as bright as that of the woman stood in his arms.

Pulling back from each other, they rested their foreheads together as they both breathed the other in deeply.

"Happy New Year Oliver" she whispered, Oliver smiling widely as the thought of a brand new year beginning with a new mission.

"Happy New Year Felicity….I love you"

"I love you more"

"I love you most"

For the first time since the accident, Oliver could truly breathe.


	49. Lost Memories

**Alright so I'm just warning you, this kind of made me cry a little when writing it but maybe that was mainly from watching Hatchi earlier- that movie always makes me cry, along with Marley and Me, and War Horse. But getting back on track, I've actually had this idea for quite some time but I didn't actually know whether or not to write it though, sure it seemed like a good idea to me but sometimes things just need second opinions but don't listen to sad(ish) music while reading this it may just proceed to make it worse for you and start balling your eyes out, not that I've done that (*wink* *wink*).**

**Anyways I hope you enjoy reading this one so as usual please leave a review to tell me your thoughts and any prompts you may have. **

**Thanks and enjoy x**

Just taking a moment to glance at the box marked 'MEMORIES' that her mother had sent her a couple hours ago, set up on the carpet of the living room in front of the TV, Felicity couldn't help but wonder just what laid inside. Stepping up, she sat crossed legged beside the box and pinched Oliver's switchblade to slip open the flaps open and began to rifle through the contents of the box.

Housed inside was her MIT yearbook from all those years ago that felt like thousands of years ago, her lucky hooded black baseball jacket from college and an album holding photos of her friends throughout the years- one that she should begin adding to.

Rooting through the different objects her hand stumbled upon a red leather case that actually looked more like a wallet with the strap holding the contents within together. What her eyes zeroed in on was the inscription at the front.

_'To My Beloved Daughter'_

At the words, her heart began pounding forcefully in her chest, pain radiating through her sternum but unknown to her whether it was good pain or bad, taking a deep breath Felicity hesitated before opening the case, several compartments holding a different disc bore themselves to her.

Unlocking the first clasp, the entire time her breath was hitched in her throat unwilling to be released for the fear it may spoil what was being offered to her, tears began brimming behind her eyes at the wording on the first disc.

_'6 YR TALENT SHOW'_

Upon reaching for the disc if Felicity noticed she was shaking she didn't speak a word, she inserted the disc into the TV and waited.

The moment it began playing, she relinquished her deep breath at the old memory she barely remembered knowing where they were instantly. Chattering rustled the sound as a deep voice announced her name, a young girl sauntering on stage and gazing across the vast sea of heads and bodies afterwards, her fingers twisting in her long locks.

When the person behind the camera spoke, she knew then it was her mum recording the video but one thing captured her attention no matter what happened with her young self on stage.

Beside her mum sat a man with a head of dark brown hair but because of the angle shot at, his face was obscured from sight.

Nothing broke her focus from the screen, not even the sound of the front door opening and shutting, or a voice calling out her name, the only thing she saw was her father for the first time in nineteen years.

"….Felicity…are you in….here…" the sound of incoming footsteps wasn't lost on her as she felt a warmth behind her and two familiar strong arms wrap around her waist, her own overlapping Oliver's.

"Who's that?" he whispered in her ear from where his head was resting on her shoulder, turning her face into him in natural response.

"…me…my mum recorded it at my talent show when I was six years old and guess who's sitting next to her" even from listening to her own voice, she could tell he knew she was on the verge of crying, Oliver always knew those kind of things with her.

Turning both their heads back to the little girl on screen who took a breath and stepped up confidently to the microphone and held the mic in her petite hands, closing her eyes and again looking out to the audience as if searching for somebody, Felicity couldn't help but smile at her younger self and even then how she refused to let anything drag her down no matter how scary it may seem.

Then she opened her mouth and sung.

As the audience silenced, the sound of her strong voice echoed throughout the great hall.

Kelly Clarkson's Because of You, she remembered singing that song all those years ago in front of so many people, at the time it seemed as if she was being faced by a monstrous creature. She had been so terrified the fact that she still sung caused tears to begin to trail down her face.

Turning her head so she could see Oliver behind her, the look on his face made her breathless.

He was crying too.

Laughing at the pair of them crying over her singing at six years old, Felicity gazed up at the ceiling before looking back at her boyfriend, leaning her head into his chest to which he responded by holding her to him and kissing her temple.

As the audience cheered, a voice shouting out made her breath stutter. Her father screaming out 'that's my daughter' as he took a step forward to support the young body being hurtled into his arms, both of them crying from both joy and excitement as the video cut to a man sitting in an office chair, looking directly at the camera.

His features looked so soft, not the piercing kind that had haunted her dreams whenever she thought of the word 'father', deep blue eyes filled with so much love for a daughter he would never truly know.

_"Hey baby…if you're watching this then it means I'm not there with you and for that you will never know how truly sorry I am, I hope you can find it in you to forgive me one day but please know this, it wasn't my sole decision to leave…I had to in order to keep both you and your mother safe from the horrors of the reality of this world, a world I don't want you involved in. If I had the choice to choose whether or not my baby girl gets to live a life worth everything I know she rightfully deserves then there's no choice about it. I know you may not agree with this truth but this was something I wanted to do in order for you to live a life that you more than anything deserve to live. I have no idea what you've been through with the past god knows how long of your life but I wanted you to know more than anybody how proud I am that I am able to call you my daughter and how broken I truly feel to not get to watch as you grow up to be an unbelievable strong woman that I know you'll be, however I will say that no matter what you do have to endure I know you'll be strong enough and courageous enough to battle your way through to the other side, and I'll always be with you anyways. Just please know that I've never forgotten you, wherever I go, you go too, I always carry an image of our family with me and that will never change, I will love you both until my last dying breath….I love you baby, enjoy life as it comes and never let anybody drag you down"_

Before the DVD ended, the door opened and a young brunette came bursting through the doorway with a pair of glasses that looked way too big for her.

_"Daddy, daddy look at me…I'm you!"_

Laughing, her father picked his daughter up and sat her squirming in his lap, trying to turn so she could face the camera and glance into the lens, tilting her head to the side so the glasses slipped down her nose, causing a fit of giggles to erupt from her.

_"Hi, whoever you are!" _

_"Lissy, have you got anything to say to the camera?" the adoration in his eyes shining brightly as he smiled down at the little girl. _

_"Don't be sad! Be happy…and remember the most important thing in the ENTIRE WORLD is…hakuna matata what a wonderful phrase….hakuna matata ain't no passing craze! It means no worries for the rest of your days, it's our problem free philosophy, hakuna matata…" trailing off as she danced out of her father's lap and out of the door and past her laughing mother. Both parents trying not to laugh at the sound of their all too energetic daughter's voice echoing around the house. _

_Turning back to the camera, Donna came up behind her husband and began laughing when she started attacking his sides with tickles. _

The video left Felicity in rivers of tears flowing from her eyes, her breath stuttering as she wrapped her head around a truth she had never known of not only just how much her father truly loved her but was forced to leave to protect Donna and her but the memories she never even knew she had. Placing her hand over her mouth to control the watery sobbing laughs at the raw memory of her being addicted to the Lion King.

"…I didn't even know he…" was all Felicity managed to get out before sobs wracked her skeleton, Oliver turned and pulled her into his chest, his own face red and puffy from the tears he had silently cried at the amount of love Felicity couldn't even remember.

Even from his own family, he had never once remembered a memory as golden as the one her father had managed to catch on tape.

If only he knew just how remarkable his daughter had grown to be.

* * *

Breathing continuous deep breaths, Oliver couldn't help but smile brilliantly.

He, Oliver Queen, was about to marry Felicity Smoak, the woman he loved with every piece of him and for the life of him couldn't help but smile at the image of them finally being together in every possible way.

She would forever be his as he would forever be hers.

A knocking on the door caught him out of his reverie as he quickly crossed over to the door to reveal Thea on the other side.

Ever since he and Felicity had first gotten together, Thea couldn't possibly be happier for her brother for the reason being that never in her life had she ever seen him smile as much or as genuinely as he did when he was either with Felicity or talking about her.

"Thea, what's going on?" frowning at his little sister, he breathed a sigh of relief when she smiled a watery smile.

"…F-Felicity asked me to give you this before the whole ceremony started, she doesn't know what's on it and specifically said that you're the only one to watch what's on it…and I'm going to leave now before I ruin my mascara" she placed the smaller case in his hands before spinning on her heel and waltzing back down the hallway, probably returning to Felicity as she was the maid of honour.

Glancing down at the case in his hands as he shut the door, the writing above the disc making him frown, Oliver remembered a couple months ago the leather case that Felicity had found with discs from her father.

_'For Him'_

Slipping it into the player, Oliver sat in the black leather armchair holding the fabric pouch in his lap as his eyes trained themselves onto the screen as Felicity's father made an appearance onscreen.

_"…well, I'm not quite sure how to start this to be quite frank with you but before anything if you're confused as to why Felicity's given this 'to him' to you, well the sole reason for that is you're the one that she loves. I wrote her a message to give this to the one who gives her heart to. Let's just get this straight, I have no idea who you are and have no possible idea as to what kind of life you live but all I ask of you is one thing…take care of my daughter, in ways that I couldn't. Please be there for her, to comfort her, to console her, be her net when she feels like she's falling, to be the arms she can always fall back into" _

As Oliver watched with a fist covering his mouth in an attempt to fight back any stray tears at the actions of this man, his potential father-in-law looked up towards the ceiling and closed his eyes, visibly gathering any remaining strength and pushing on.

_"Please let her be happy…she deserves to be happy in her life, wherever it may be. From a father's love for his daughter, understand what I'm asking of you for because I'm telling you now…her true genuine happiness is the best gift you could ever possibly receive and it's a light that will guide you through all those dark moments you are bound to stumble into through your lives"_

Pausing the video to pace through the room to control the tears battling their way through his multiple layers of defence, Oliver returned to the chair once more and pressed play, not noticing the way he grasped the remote firmly.

_"As a father to a son, in my family, it's a tradition to pass on something to your next generation so as it seems that I'm gaining a son, I'm sure Felicity's also included the fabric pouch to you so…this is my gift to you"_

Glancing down at the pouch in question, Oliver flicked his gaze back up to the screen again and it seemed as if the man was looking directly at him, with him there and then.

_"Welcome to the family son" _

Gasping as he slid the object inside out onto his palm, Oliver couldn't care less when he felt a few tears escape the barrier and slip down his face.

Laid out on his palm was a sterling silver leather cuff bracelet.

It was then he realised something that made his heart beat at a thousand times a second.

Hearing a knocking on his door, Oliver was jolted out of the trance as he scrambled out of the chair to check everything was in place before opening the door to Diggle's knowing smile, remembering he had been previously crying Oliver simply just gently huffed out a familiar grunt, turning to follow Diggle down the hallway towards his future.

Not pausing in his steps, he looked down at the bracelet still clasped in his left hand and smiled, throwing a look to the sky as if her father would somehow be watching along with his own parents as he slipped on the bracelet.

* * *

Standing there at the aisle, heart thrashing in his chest as the radiant sight of his fiancée- and soon to be wife -floating down towards him on the arm of none other than Quentin, who had been more than honored to give her away in the place of her father, Thea, Lyla, Sin, Caitlin and Laurel practically skipping in front of the pair in their bridesmaids dresses.

* * *

"And do you, Oliver Jonas Queen, accept this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? To love to hold through sickness and through health, as long as you both shall live?" the vicar asked, all eyes on Oliver, his eyes not able to barely stray an inch from Felicity's.

"I promise" the depth of his words didn't go unnoticed.

A promise made to protect her father's greatest treasure.


	50. Arrow Vs The Great Cold

**I can't actually remember when I last uploaded a story so here's one that's been in my documents for a while, don't ask when I wrote this I can't remember that either...it's the holiday, give me a break. Anyways hope you enjoy this and since I can't be bothered to do anything else, I think I may upload another one today. **

**As always, leave a review and tell me your thoughts. **

**Thanks and enjoy x**

Sighing deeply as she slumped herself down onto her couch, Felicity began flicking through the different TV channels attempting to find something to quench her boredom but absolutely nothing was reaching out to her.

Moaning in protest at the movement, she felt her phone go off with an incoming call so reached out to the coffee table.

"What?"

"Well hi to you too Liz, please make an attempt to control your obvious excitement….look can you do me a favour?" Thea replied over the phone, frowning at the sound of the Oliver in the background…wait, was he whining?

"Um…Thea, is that Oliver in the background?" shifting herself up into a seated position on the cushions, Felicity concentrated more on the call Thea was currently in the progress of making.

"….urgh fine, fine yes it's Oliver, he's got a bad cold from god knows where which is, granted, hitting him quite hard but, for the love of God, he just will not shut up. He keeps whining about this and that and Liz it's driving me to insanity, literally I swear if I have to keep putting up with him for any long, I'm going to commit suicide…so for the love of God, Liz, I'm _begging _you here, PLEASE HELP ME and come take care of him. You're always able to somehow get him to shut up so maybe you can handle him for today?"

Listening to Thea's ramble was probably the highlight to Felicity's day, laughter bubbled in her throat and thus causing Felicity to smother her laughs with her hand, keeping her phone at a distance from her so Thea didn't hear her hopefully silent laughter.

"Thea…Thea, Th-Thea! Alright, alright you can stop talking now I don't mind taking care of Oliver for the day okay. Huh, maybe my rambling is contagious"

"Gee you think? URGH OLIVER…SHUT UP! Liz please can you get over here as soon as you can"

"I'll be there in 20, promise" Felicity laughed, hanging up the call.

* * *

Turns out Thea was definitely being thrown in the deep end as the second Felicity's hands touched their apartment door the door in question swung open and Thea drug her into the wide expanse of rooms.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you I owe you so much that I'm taking you out for lunch next week…have I ever told you how much I love you?" Thea once again rambled, linking her own arm through Felicity's right one and holding her body flush against her side.

"Uh huh, so where is he then?"

Rolling her eyes at the younger Queen, Felicity decided to move onto the actual task at hand.

"…THEA…" came an all too familiar voice from upstairs, yep with a whining edge to it, making Felicity clap a hand atop her mouth to keep the short burst of laughter at bay, if he could hear himself right now…God she'd make it a viral vine video for all the world to see.

Listening to the younger woman beside her groan and bury her face in Felicity's shoulder, she began to move them both towards the stairs and to her brother.

"Hey Ollie, I'm just letting you know that I'm going to be off somewhere, attending to something in the city so Felicity's going to be looking after you for the rest of today alright?" standing in the doorway, Thea spoke in gentle terms to her brother before dashing off downstairs and out their apartment without waiting for Oliver's response, leaving Felicity standing there alone staring after the brunette.

"Fliss…citeee"

Taking the chance present to truly look at him, Felicity ran her gaze over Oliver.

He laid buried beneath multiple covers that were half on half off the rest of his body, his legs sticking out at the bottom of his bed, making her smirk at the thought of what his reaction would be if he realised just how much of a kid he made himself look.

Crossing over to his bed and sitting at the side, Felicity laid out her hand over his forehead as that was the only skin- apart from his legs- actually showing and ignoring the sound of him almost purring at her touch on his skin.

"Sheesh, you're burning hot Oliver…I'll go get you a cloth or something to try and cool you off" when she rose to leave, Oliver's hand shot up and out from beneath his duvet and gripped her wrist, keeping her hand against his face.

"…no…just stay, you're nice and cold" it was then that she primarily realised that she was probably still cold from the freezing weather outside, "…mmmm…." before she even had time to react, Oliver's hand travelled from her wrist to her waist and tugged her down so she now laid on top of him and enabling him to curl up around her figure.

"Oliver, what are you doing?" knowing it was a rather stupid question to ask right then, it was obvious what he was doing, but she really couldn't help it.

"Mmm…my ice pack, nice and cold…" he murmured into the skin of her neck, rearranging them both so she was buried beneath the covers alongside him with his head resting on her shoulder, left arm thrown over her stomach.

Felicity felt her heart pound in her chest when his hand slipped beneath her t-shirt and splayed itself across her ribs, the sheer contrast between the temperatures of both of their skin spiking at her nerves.

"So I take it I'm sleeping over?" not helping herself any further when he burrowed all the more deeper, altering their positions, draping his leg over both of hers that peeked out at the bed's end.

"…please do…"

"Well I'm glad I came here in jeans and shirt, one of my skirts of dresses would definitely make this a little too awkward for my taste" Felicity muttered to herself, Oliver completely oblivious the amount of distance they had left between them. His head being on her shoulder caused the only amount of distance between them in that moment.

The response of his light and even breathing in her ear was enough to tell her that Oliver was out for the count and most likely didn't have any intention of awakening for some time if by the tightness he was holding her was anything to go by.

* * *

Trailing her eyes over the decoration on the ceiling of the room, Felicity glanced down at the man still using her as his own personal pillow, her once cold skin now typical body temperature as the body beside her had stolen all of the coolness. His chest rose and fell with every breath he took and she knew he was in a deep and peaceful slumber that he normally faced many troubles experiencing in his 'line of work' as Diggle usually called it.

_'Alright, he should be deeply asleep right now so you can simply slip out and go to sleep on the couch, avoiding any awkward moments in the significant future when Oliver realises what happened tonight and closes himself off as usual' _the voice in her mind whispered, providing an escape plan along with advice on what to do next, she didn't need to be a genius to know that Oliver will definitely close himself off to any trace of emotion after tonight, so why not just avoid making it any worse altogether- or make it any harder for her to erase this moment from her mind.

Untangling their legs from each other's, Felicity shifted herself to simply slip out from beneath his head. Abruptly the arm draped over her stomach tightened as it scrambled to grab at her shirt, stopping her from moving further away.

Turning her eyes back to his face she was instead met by a pair of red puffy eyes staring up at her as if to say that if she left, the monsters beneath the bed would return.

"….Flisste don't leave, stay…please…." his whine caught her ear, making her freeze on her spot, glancing between both the man trying to hold onto her and the door which held a more likely future of avoidance, her brain whirred away trying to choose between which path to take.

Deeply sighing, knowing she was mostly certainly going to be regretting this decision in the possible future, Felicity slumped back against the pillows, raising her arm in invitation for Oliver to return to his original position, an invitation he wasted little to no time in accepting.

"You're lucky you're going to be too sick to remember this" the words escaping her mouth before her brain caught up.

"…nuh uh…I won't forget….never could forget sleeping with you…platonically…" the voice of wording wasn't lost on her but the insinuation made her cheeks burn red.

Tangling his legs with her own once again, his hand found its way to her ribcage again, fusing the rest of his body into her side.

Watching as Oliver closed his eyes and drifted off into oblivion once again, Felicity subconsciously began to run her fingers through his hair as if providing a means of comfort even if he wasn't conscious to feel it.

Coming to terms with the knowledge that she's going to have to be putting up with staying in his bed a little longer than she had originally wanted- not that she wanted to originally be in his bed, because who wouldn't want to sleep with Oliver Queen, he's gorgeous and all with the package deal of amazing abs and a bonus of a salmon ladder, she just meant it by comforting him through his illness and all.

Moving the two of them further down the bed, Felicity leaned her head back into the overwhelming comfort of Oliver's pillows before she too closed her eyes to drift off into her own oblivion.

The feeling of Oliver's hand on her bare skin though caused some quite non-platonic activities in her brain between the two of them, which never on this Earth will be shared.

If only she knew how wrong she was on that.


	51. What Means the Most to Me

**I think this is got to be one of my top favourite fanfics I've written so far, so I sinceriously hope you lot enjoy it as much as I have during writing it. Always remember prompts are always welcome though!**

**As always, please leave a review and tell me your thoughts!  
**

**Thanks and enjoy x**

Striding through the entrance of the hospital, the first sight he was met by was a guilt-stricken Palmer clutching a, most likely, broken arm to his chest as his face bore dirty splotches, making his fury grow with every breath he took.

He didn't even have to ask to know what had happened, the silence told him.

Not altering his pace, Oliver crossed the floor to the man in question and sent him crashing into the wall behind where he stood, Oliver's hand around his throat before he could even process what had happened, the rest of the team behind his position watching on with curiosity and concern but none of which for the man currently in the death grip of a livid Queen.

"What the hell happened?" right then Oliver didn't give a care in the world for how dark his voice sounded, the only thought in his mind was that of Felicity and why she wasn't currently standing in the waiting room.

If anyone asked him if seeing Palmer squirming against his hold, fighting to gasp down much needed oxygen, made a strange fluttering feeling erupt within him as snippets of his inner beast were unleashed, _he never said a word. _

Releasing his grip on the man's throat minutely, he waited for the man to speak, his patience wearing thin.

"…there was an explosion at S.T.A.R labs…something went wrong, I couldn't save her…I couldn't get to her in time…she-"

Roaring in frustration, Oliver brought Palmer towards him before smashing him back into the plaster again, his rage radiating off of him in waves.

Nurses and patients in the room watched them both in both fear for the man up against the wall and understanding, you're never really in control when somebody you care about is threatened or placed in a position that could mean their life.

"YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT HER! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO KEEP HER SAFE! SHE TRUSTED YOU!" not being able to hold himself back, Diggle and Roy were both forced to intervene but not before Oliver's fist collided with Palmer's jaw, pushing his body right up against the barrier of Diggle and Roy. "I swear Palmer…if anything happens to her…it's on you" pointing threateningly his way, nobody second guessed the anger directed at the man as the crowd around the scene all held their breath.

"It wasn't my choice, she had a mind of her own and you think anyone can convince her otherwise once she's got it set on something!"

"YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE PUT HER IN THAT POSITION IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

"…what, you think you could've saved her…that she wouldn't be in here now? You weren't there, you didn't see what happened!"

Releasing the deep snarl that had been building in his throat, Oliver sent his fist flying into the plaster beside Palmer's head, making the man in question shake violently and visibly letting go to his fear of the man stood in front of him.

"I'd watch your tongue if I were you, you're on too thin ice as it is…wouldn't want to make it worse for yourself" whispering threateningly into his face, Oliver made no attempt at hiding the current of fury flowing through his veins. Forcing himself away from Palmer with the little control that remained, he clenched his hands into tight fists, digging his fingernails into his palm in some attempt at controlling himself, controlling the beast inside of him screaming at him to end the man's miserable life there and then.

"…none of this was supposed to happen" Ray muttered to himself, head hung in defeat, his voice not small enough to go unnoticed by Queen as the man in question froze before gradually turning to face the man that had stolen away and hidden his light, the only sole reason left for him to continue living.

"Wasn't supposed to happen? Wasn't….if I were you, I'd get out of my sight right now before I do something I most certainly _will not _be regretting" snarling menacingly at the man, Oliver allowed himself to be tugged away by Digg, towards where Captain Lance sat stoic in one of the plastic chairs, his knee bouncing continuously.

As soon as Barry had called him, Oliver had subconsciously dialled Lance and relayed on the news of what had happened as he and Felicity had become quite close to one another, dare he say it, almost like father and daughter but in no way replacing the bond Lance had with Sara. Laurel had been more than happy with the new almost-sister, welcoming her with open arms, even though they weren't true sisters or step-sisters, they were sisters in bond, the part she loved most of all was that Felicity had taken his mind off of losing his youngest once more to the horrors hidden in the darkness of the world.

When he had told Lance, he had said with no pause between his words that he'd meet him at the train station; his voice giving him away to the fear of losing another one he cared for….a feeling Oliver knew more than all too well.

Barry came waltzing out of the bathroom with Cisco and Caitlin at his heels, the two latter taking a seat while Barry couldn't find it in him to stop pacing. Oliver knew he blamed himself but couldn't for the life of him find the words currently to provide any comfort to the young vigilante, knowing that he had been washing Felicity's blood off of his hands since he had personally rushed her to the hospital…as the Flash, changing in the alleyway to his normal clothes.

Burying his face in his shaking hands, Oliver bypassed all the concerned glances guided his way as everyone there knew just how strong their connection stood.

* * *

Time seemed at standstill for him as he paced continuously through the waiting room of the hospital.

Barry had told him to the depth of her injuries, and they were bad, making both Oliver and Lance drop to the chairs as their legs threatened to give way from beneath them.

This wasn't supposed to be happening to him, to _her_, she was supposed to be awake and living her life as it came but no instead, she was in that operation room fighting for her life, a battle she probably wasn't even aware was happening.

When more nurses went rushing towards the room in question, Oliver felt his heart drop.

Without a second thought, his feet were moving him towards the room in tow, stopping when he reached the window, the nurse trying to convince him to return to the waiting room but she sounded as if she were speaking to him from above water as he slowly drowned.

Chaos erupted within the room as doctors and nurses tried to save what he refused to believe was lost to them.

How could he just sit in the waiting room and do nothing when every fibre of his being was screeching at him to get up, do _something_, _anything_.

He couldn't lose her, he couldn't lose his guiding light otherwise his life was sure to crash and burn without her, he would become so lost with no more sense of direction, no more sense of the need to be…just nothing.

"We're losing her! Get the defibrillators now!"

"…no…no, god, please no…" Oliver muttered as he watched the heart line on the monitor spike before crashing. "NO!"

Breaking down to his knees, Oliver welcomed the feeling of the ice cold floor as his body collapsed to the ground, no longer able to fuel himself with the typical strength when his prime source was flickering, barely hanging by a thread onto the life he didn't know if he could ever come back from potentially losing.

"…no…no….no….please don't….please don't, you can't….please, I'm begging you…don't go…_please_…" Oliver whispered into to the abyss, tears falling unnoticed into a small puddle on the floor displaying a reflection of himself that looked so empty without her, praying to anyone who was listening right then to not take her from them…from _him_.

Watching her brother as vulnerable as he was then was like a knife to Thea's chest, never in her life had she ever seen him like that, not even after witnessing their mother's murder by his old best friend.

The nurses dashed around the space, prepping this and that, _anything _to keep her with them.

"Come on sweetheart, don't you dare give up on us now, there are too many routing for you for you to submit" one of the brown-haired nurses whispered into her ear as she clutched her upper arm.

* * *

_Whistling echoed round her head, causing her to shift before unfastening her eyes. _

_Reaching up to cover her forehead with the palm of her hand, memories bombarded her senses, reminding her of what had happened. _

_Glancing up at her surroundings, something that Diggle and Sara had knocked into her head after multiple survival training sessions in the foundry, Felicity found herself looking up at trees overhanging her current position on what seemed to be a gravel road with wide oak trunks standing guard on either side of the road, tree branches creating an archway overhead. _

_"…whoa…" _

_Upon hearing a faraway sound of a young girl giggling, she couldn't help herself but move to follow the sound. _

_There was something about that voice that seemed to call to her._

* * *

_Following the path, Felicity's gaze fell upon a figure of a young girl standing in the middle of the path, as though she were waiting for something, or _someone_. _

_Her features were soft and delicate, deep blue eyes staring back at her, light brown hair cascading down past her shoulders. Draped over her small body bore a white dress with a red belt that ended just past her knees a beautiful red floral design decorating along the hem. _

_"Hello" introducing herself, she was met by the giggle that lit up the young girl's features brilliantly. _

_"It took you long enough" the young girl replied, skipping towards Felicity to lace her fingers with her own and begin to tug her towards the sight of the towering hills before them. _

_Not making a sole move to stop the girl, Felicity gladly allowed her to guide her to wherever in the world she wished._

_Not being able to help herself from laughing along with the young unknown girl, Felicity soon found herself skipp through the tall grass beside the girl looking up at her with bright eyes full of so much cheer and happiness it took her breath away. _

_Rolling down the remainder of the big hill, Felicity rose to her feet to gaze upon the sight set before her. _

_"Felicity!" a male voice called over the sound of insistent giggling, a voice that was too familiar. Peering through her fallen locks that now hung out in front of her face, there in front of her set a picturesque image that she never thought she'd ever see in her life again. _

_Past a hidden cave lay a secluded beach with golden sand running along the edge of the small island, clear seawater lapping at its beaches as a forest stood tall on the other side of the shoreline, curving round the edge of the island but it wasn't the beach itself that took her breath away, it was the sight of what was on it. _

_There dancing about in the sand was her parents, young and in their prime as their love for the other shone brighter than any star in the night sky. _

_Not bothering to wipe away her tears, Felicity just simply smiled at the memory she thought she'd never see for the life of her again in all its beauty._

* * *

"…Felicity, Felicity please I am begging you, _please _wake up…please…I-I-I need you, and I don't need people Felicity, it's a luxury I haven't allowed myself to have since I returned home…but I need _you_, I don't know where to go without you. I'm lost without you by my side where you've always been. So I'm here on my knees before you, please don't leave me now" caressing her cheek with his hand, Oliver couldn't help the shaking wracking him form as the warmth still radiated from her skin and heated his own, a feeling he never wanted to forget or lose.

Watching Felicity's features, his breath caught in his throat as they softened, relaxing as a lone tear trailed down her face.

"Felicity…" the heart monitor caught his ears, turning his head towards the machine beside the bed hooked up to his girl. Her heart line was picking up.

"She's dreaming" turning to the door Oliver gazed at the figures of Lance and Digg, neither man's eyes straying from their girl on the bed. "…that happened once when Lyla was under, her heart line did exactly that, it's a good thing, it means…no matter what happens-" choking on the words, Diggle pushed through "-she's at peace, wherever she is…she's where she wants to be"

"Well I need her to be here, please Felicity…wake up"

* * *

_"You need to wake up" the voice from beside her spoke, catching her attention and drawing it to the small girl she'd just spent god-knows-how-long with. Turning her gaze to the young girl stood next to her, Felicity's gaze darted between the girl and her parents dancing in the sand, glancing over at the two of them…almost in expectation. _

_Now it all made sense, that was _her_ but as a version of her younger self. _

_Shaking her head out of her sudden thoughts, Felicity focused on the words of her younger self. _

_"Why? Why can't I just stay here with you three" smiling sadly at her own cherished memory, she took in as much of the scene as she possibly could in the potential little time she still had. _

_"Because it's not your time yet and they need you back home" now that got her attention. _

_Shaking her head, Felicity looked back over to her parents before seating herself in the grass, creating a cushion beneath her arse, resting her forearms on her knees. _

_"What's the point? None of them actually needs me. You know when I first started, my job was solely tech support but now with everyone coming in and joining the 'secret' of that life, what's the point, what use am I anymore?" speaking aloud the thought that had been haunting her thoughts for a long time, Felicity breathed in a shaky breath. _

_She'd spent so long avoiding the inevitable, avoiding answering the question because the truth was there in black and white. _

_"…do you really think they need you for tech support?" taking residence in the seat beside her, the younger version of herself sat facing her, shining blue eyes looking on at her. _

_Mindfully calling the smaller…her…Lissy in her mind, Felicity offered the girl a small sad smile._

_"What else am I?"_

_"A hero" snapping her eyes back to the younger ones, the incredulous thought she was presenting her with was…well incredulous. _

_"…I hate to break it to you, but I'm not a hero" _

_"That's not true" shaking her head, Lissy crossed her legs and placed one hand comfortingly on her thigh. "You _are_ a hero all on your own, just remember all the times you did the impossible or what they thought to be the impossible. You always found another way, never backing down"_

_Laughing at the young girl, Felicity couldn't help the memory._

_"You watched Camp Rock 2 didn't you?" _

_"…maybe, you can't prove anything" _

_"Remembering you're me and I'm you, yeah I can prove that" smiling while giving Lissy a pointed look, they both broke out into laughter, both knowing the truth. "…you know, maybe you are right" _

_"Maybe" the question in her smug tone put another smile on her face knowingly. _

_"Don't get cocky with me….me, wow that's weird"  
_

_"You know Digg's right"_

_"Which part?" _

_"About you being the team's guiding light…and since I know what you've been through, I can say this…you can't give up because I won't let you" _

_"Want a piece of advice?" asking Lissy, Felicity glanced over at her still dancing parents before her face, in which nodded in response. "This here…make as much of it as you possibly can, time seems like it passes in the blink of an eye. Watch out as well, your heart is a vulnerable thing so protect it well and I don't just mean physically…promise me?" _

_"I promise as long as you promise me one thing" _

_"…course" _

_"Always be happy, or at least try, keep a smile on your face whenever you're feeling down" _

_Throwing her head back in laughter, Felicity chuckled at the young girl. _

_"You really do need to stop watching all those TV programmes"  
_

_"Come on, you're supposed to know me better than anyone, you should know that's never gonna happen" _

_"Go on, go enjoy your time with your family" gesturing to the couple with her head, Felicity pushed the girl to her feet. _

_"_Our _family, they're _our _family remember, not just mine" _

_"Quite right, now go on, get" _

_Breathing deeply through a smile, Felicity watched as Lissy ran straight into the arms of her father who crouched down to accommodate his daughter. Not bothering to wipe away the tears tracking down her face, Felicity secured the moment to memory, wrapping her arms around herself before closing her eyes. _

_The smile never left her face._

* * *

Eyes fluttering open, silence met her except the sound of light intakes of breath from her side.

Giggling echoed in her mind as she remembered how her father picked her up and began spinning her around, chuckling deeply as the two lived in their own moment, her mother spinning herself round in circles attempting to make herself dizzy, landing them all in a giant heap on the sand, laughing away.

Chocking back a gentle sob, Felicity's eyes stung from the tears at the thought of how that memory could never be alive again, in mere seconds it was all over, brimming behind her eyelids.

Movement from her side caught her attention, glancing down at a sleeping Oliver Queen, his hand encasing one of her own- that she only just began feeling.

Smiling down at the man, Felicity carefully moved her right hand out from beneath his grasp- which is bloody harder than it looks -and lifted it to trail through his hair, scratching her nails lightly through his short tufts of hair and thus receiving a purring sound out of the Arrow (that thought in itself made her laugh) as he chased her hand in his subconscious, his eyes opening to catch her own.

"…Felicity…" moving quickly but gently, being wary to avoid her injuries, Oliver slipped one hand beneath her back to support her as he moved them both so he could wrap both his arms around her, holding her closely to his own body in an attempt to provide himself with the necessary means of comfort that Felicity was alive, awake and in his arms.

Allowing Oliver to take whatever he needed from her, her gaze travelled over his shoulder to the young girl stood in the corner of the room beside the door as others came rushing in, sounds distorted as she solely focused on the girl.

The sound of her laugh caused a smile to erupt across Felicity's face, her not bothering to stop or remove it, as the girl began waving wildly to her before turning and skipping down the corridors of the hospital, her light and musical laugh echoing behind her.

Exhaling the deep breath, Felicity relaxed more into Oliver's embrace, him tightening it slightly in response, her promise she made to the young girl still clear and present in her mind, ready to be made the truth.

* * *

Laying in the same bed as she had all those years ago, Felicity closed her eyes as she took her last breath, an everlasting smile present on her face as she prepared herself for the meeting she'd been waiting for, those she loved and cared for most around her.

At her sides sat her children and grandchildren, evidence of a long and more than happy life she had lived with the one she cared for the most but now was her time to go and join those whom had already passed on.

"…I love you mum, I love you so much, it's okay, we forgive you…go, be with dad…" was all she heard, crying becoming increasingly distorted in the background.

* * *

_"Lissy, it took you long enough!" the voice she was met by made her laugh, her eyes solely on the figure stood beside her as she once remembered him to be, back when she had first met him but this time he face was free of all darkness of his past. _

_Reaching out towards her, she took his hand as a gigantic smile split across her face, knowing how long she had been waiting to be reunited with him once again. _

_"…Oliver…you waited"_

_"I'll always wait for you Felicity" _

_Glancing down at the young girl, they joined hands before the three of them took off down the path towards the memory that no matter how much timed had passed had never left her, the rest of their team joining them on the way. _

_Laughing as they all danced on the beach, Felicity couldn't have wished for a more fulfilling life. _


	52. Trust In You

**Was bored so this is the product of me reading along the '5 Times' fanfics, thank you all for your comments and prompts on my last chapter and I'm glad you all liked it so much, as I hope you do this one. **

**As always, please leave a review and tell me your thoughts. **

**Thanks and enjoy x**

It wasn't every day that Oliver or any of the members of Team Arrow called a movie night but Oliver had decided that everyone had been working so hard so they more than deserved a good break.

So Oliver, Felicity, Diggle, Lyla, Roy, Thea, Laurel and Tommy were all sitting in the Queen's mansion foyer in front of the TV set where The Avengers (courtesy of both Felicity and Thea) was playing.

Roy and Thea were laid out under Thea's duvet from upstairs on the floor, beside Tommy and Laurel who were sat up against an armchair in one another's arms. Diggle and Lyla sat on the other armchair with Lyla in Diggle's lap as she was steadily drifting off to sleep (she claims it to be the pregnancy hormones). Nyssa and Sara laid out on one of the three seater sofas, Sara's feet in Nyssa's lap as she too drifted between the regions of consciousness, her assassin watching over her like her own personal guardian and truth be told, they were one another's guardians.

This left Oliver and Felicity on the opposite three seater sofa but where one- or at first known as Felicity -thought may be succumbed by awkwardness and longing wasn't surprisingly as Oliver, shocking the rest of the team that were still awake, made himself at home as he slept with his head resting on Felicity's lap, one arm buried beneath her thigh so he could hold himself against her.

The one part that made Felicity smile inwardly as she trailed her fingers through his scalp was that nearing the end of the movie, Oliver had shifted himself so that he now laid facing Felicity, his smile not dropping from his face.

Before he too fell asleep wrapped around his own girlfriend, Tommy laid Felicity's duvet over Oliver, who without faltering took in a deep sniff of the material and purred, curling himself up more to the woman Laurel draped Oliver's duvet over Felicity and making sure to tuck it around Oliver's head. Laughing silently at the couple wrapped up in the other's bedding, and not making a sound of protest against it either, they took a photo that they were sure to use for future use at their wedding in the, hopefully, not so distant future.

If anyone noticed how Oliver changed the background on his phone and laptop, nobody said a word.

* * *

The one thing he hated more than anything was being ill, it never ended well for him, that is to say until a certain blonde popped round the mansion with a flask of hot soup her grandmother always made for her when she was little and more effective than any medicine, a radiant smile.

"I feel like I just went through a complete round of mirakuru soldiers and lost" he grumbled into his pillow as Felicity switched on the TV in his room and brought over the soup for him, slipping beside his current position on his bed but making sure to remain above the covers.

"Don't worry, you'll feel better in the morning, besides remember this bug has actually saved you from the slaughter that would've been that meeting with Bruce Wayne"

A reminder of the thought of being stranded with none other than his old college enemy Bruce Wayne for company made him shudder at the thought of experiencing that alone.

"Have I ever told you how much I love this bug?" his smile melted her heart and caused a heartfelt laugh to bubble up in her throat, not bothering to cover it up.

"See, all you have to do is see things under a different light and it could make things much better in the process" the gift of a genuinely happy Felicity Smoak was more than a perfect reason to brighten his day whatever doubts or troubles it may have.

"You're remarkable Miss Smoak"

"Well, thank you for remarking on it Mr Queen, if I didn't know any better I'd say you were trying to butter me up for something" damn it, nothing ever gets past her and apparently that thought must've been plastered across her face for Felicity just simply smiled in response.

"…could you spend the night with me, I always sleep better when you're around" snuggling down further into his pillow, Felicity paused and thought it for a moment before shrugging and settling herself down beside him.

"Of course I can Oliver, what are friends for" bypassing the word 'friends', Oliver gladly moved his position over to the left so he could rest his head atop Felicity's chest, his forehead the sole section of skin exposed to the world.

"…being platonic, unless one of them wanted more"

"Shut up and go to sleep Oliver, we'll talk about you and elevators in the morning" pushing on through, Felicity couldn't help the huge smile that plastered itself across her face at the truth behind the matter.

How in the world was either of them going to stay platonic with one another?

* * *

"Looks like someone's out for the count" Diggle remarked, gesturing to Oliver who was currently in a deep sleep with his head resting against the back of his seat.

They had been in London for a mission and had decided to take the time to complete some QC business, without a certain Isabitch this time, and Oliver had been worked pretty hard to the core as he hadn't been able to stop moving since the moment their plane had landed about a week ago.

Glancing beside her at the man in question, Felicity couldn't help but flinch at the angle his head was thrown in and how much of a crick in the neck he was going to get when the plane landed in about five hours or tomorrow morning.

Considering the pain in the arse of a man seated beside her she rolled her eyes at him, making Diggle chuckle before too leaning back in his seat of the private jet and closing his eyes, and wrapped her arm around Oliver's broad shoulders and started to tip him towards her, Oliver willingly going with the movement after relaxed under her touch.

Shifting herself to get into the most comfortable position, Felicity crossed her legs on top of the seat opposite her while Oliver too shifted, pushing himself closer to her and sighing almost in content. Ignoring the thought flying around in her mind, Felicity carefully reached onto the table beside her and opened one of the game apps on her tablet.

Time to beat a few levels in Candy Crush and mostly avoid thinking of the sleeping Queen on her shoulder, if only he were dancing instead, _now that _would be hilarious.

When they landed, Oliver thanked her and promised to get her the bottle of red wine she more than rightfully deserved, well two since he had forgotten about the one from the 'scavenger hunt' she had helped him win.

* * *

Pacing around the VIP section of the hospital wing where Thea currently laid after her car crash where it had been a rather close call when a truck had broken through one of the red lights and crashed through into the empty passenger side of Thea's car, merely only knocking her out cold.

Roy had called him, completely freaking out about what had happened, and thus sending Oliver into a crazy haze whilst speeding, as much as the law allowed him to, towards the hospital, texting Diggle and Felicity in the process.

His mind hadn't stopped racing with 'what if' scenarios since he had received Roy's phone call about an hour and a half ago.

Thea had received a graze on her forehead, a broken arm and sprained ankle so now all that was left to do was to wait for Thea to wake up.

"Oliver!" Felicity's voice and iconic sound of high heels were enough to break Oliver out of the confines of his mind and towards the blonde, immediately intercepting her and tugging her in for a hug, the need to feel some sort of comfort of human contact pounding through Oliver's veins, Felicity receiving the message loud and clear so promptly returning the embrace and causing Oliver to bury his face in her lavender-scented locks.

"What happened?" Diggle asked Roy, who had just come out of the minor injuries section where he had just had his hand wrapped from punching one of the hospital walls, his fist breaking the first layer of plaster and encasing itself in his own blood, distracting himself from waiting for his girlfriend to wake up along with her brother, who still hadn't released Felicity from his hold.

"Come on, let's take a seat before your legs end up giving out from the amount of pacing you've mostly likely been doing, you too Roy, sit your arse down, there's no use in exhausting yourself out. She's going to need you both when she wakes up and what use are you going to be if you're both too tired?" Felicity's maternal skills coming into play as she persuaded both men to finally sit down and stay there, receiving grateful looks from the hospital staff.

After a while just sitting there beside Felicity, Oliver slowly lowered himself down so he now laid against the couch and leaned his head on Felicity' thigh, his left hand reaching to his shoulder to hold Felicity's in a firm grip.

"It's okay Oliver, I'll wake you if there's anything new or when she wakes up alright, just sleep. Same to you too Roy" taking her free hand and tangling her fingers with Roy's, Felicity resumed tracking the floral designs on the ceiling as Roy too lowered his head onto her shoulder, the tears evident from the wetness of her shoulder.

"She'll be okay, I promise you" whispering to both men as Diggle watched her with knowing eyes that whenever they're in a crisis, they could always trust Felicity to go to for comfort and she would always gladly watch their backs.

* * *

Breathing deeply, Felicity collapsed onto Oliver's chest as they both tangled their sweaty and very naked limbs together after their latest make out session, Oliver gazing down at Felicity with adoration only present for her.

"I love you" whispering into her dishevelled hair that he couldn't help but smile smugly at, Oliver stroked his hand lovingly down her back, revelling in the delightful shiver that embraced her body, he couldn't help but smile at the fact that no matter after spending a year and a half actually officially together Oliver could still make Felicity feel things that some experience solely during the first night together.

"…love you too" murmuring into the crook of his neck, causing his skin to tingle with the heat radiating from her body, Oliver brought her all the more closer, worshipping what now was his.

Some things never change and why would he want them to, he had everything he ever could've wanted…except one thing and that was currently burning a hole in the pocket of his jacket, he just hoped she said yes to spending the rest of her life with him because since he was a selfish and possessive bugger, once she was his he wouldn't be letting her go without one hell of a fight.

Besides if there was one thing he was good at doing, besides fighting of course, was fighting for what mattered to him most in the world.

Because to him, Felicity was his everything, and there was nothing he would want to change that.


	53. Future's Present

**So my apologies for not uploading for a hell of a while so here's another 'Trope'. So here the _italics _mean flashbacks. **

**As always, leave a review and tell me your thoughts. **

**Thanks and enjoy x**

Metal clanking together echoed through the foundry, alongside grunts as Roy, Sara and Oliver sparring out on the mats, Diggle to the side behind his typical desk cleaning his gun while Felicity typed away, creating automated systems to help them with their nightly activities.

Since it was before the weekend, Felicity didn't have to work so instead of her typical work clothes instead she had decided to go with a white tank top and black jeans, topped

Unexpectedly, the door to the foundry clicked open as the passcode was entered, attracting all of the group's attention, each of their gazes locking onto the staircase, moving to grab their weapons and step in front of Felicity.

As footsteps descended down the stairs, each of the team members excluding Felicity, before the figure in question appeared at the bottom of the staircase, allowing the team to have a good look at her.

A seventeen year old girl stood at the foot of the stairs clad in a full black leather catsuit with holsters wrapped about her waist and upper thighs, topped off with a black mask and hood hiding her identity in the shadows.

Felicity could feel the tension rolling off each one of the vigilante's as they all decided on whether or not to consider the female mini-vigilante as a threat or not.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Oliver ground out while his fingers never ceased twitching slightly against the drawn arrow.

Despite what was happening there was just something about that girl that she couldn't put her finger on, that seemed to pull something inside of Felicity towards the young girl but it remained unknown to her.

What was it about that girl?

Stepped around Diggle in an attempt to observe the young vigilante, the next moment flowed so swiftly and so quick if Felicity blinked she would've missed the body of the girl abruptly tense up as Felicity made herself known, peeking out around the very-much-built body of the ex-army soldier stood guard before her.

"Who are you?" speaking in a lower and more soft tone than Oliver had, Felicity watched as the girl before them all began shaking as she reached to lower her hood down revealing long wavy midnight-black hair that then cascaded down past her shoulders, stopping just short of the top of her bust.

"…mum…y-you're…" inhaling as the body of the leather-clad teen rushed across the floor of the foundry and collided directly into Felicity, dropping her bow in the process and throwing herself into Felicity's arms as a sob broke through past the girl's lips.

Felicity's own arms wrapped hesitantly around the girl's petite frame as she began sobbing into the crook of her neck while holding herself to Felicity's, her tears beginning to soak into Felicity's jacket, the team watching on in confusion as the scene before them played out.

"…so who are you and why are you here?" Sara repeated both Oliver and Felicity's questions as the girl in question finally pulled herself away from Felicity reluctantly, putting a foot of a distance between the two of them.

"My name is Alex and I'm your daughter" looking straight at Felicity, Alex wouldn't budge her gaze to anyone else.

The entirety of the team froze, especially Felicity, who gasped and begun shaking her head.

"…no, no you must be mistaken I would definitely know if I had a daughter…it's not exactly something you forget"

"I am your daughter but I'm not from _here _exactly"

"So where are you from then and to answer the earlier question, what are you doing here?" Oliver spoke aloud while taking up Felicity's left side as the rest of the team stood together behind him.

"…you're not going to believe me but I'm from the future and I-I…I'm here because…" the hesitation in Alex's voice along with how she still shook didn't go unnoticed by anyone.

Not thinking about the action, Felicity unconsciously reached forward and placed her hand on the teen's shoulder, squeezing slightly in assurance.

"It's alright, you can trust us" trying to keep her voice as soft as possible, Felicity shifted her feet but she couldn't help but think about the girl's words, 'daughter'.

She had a daughter?

So many questions wouldn't stop swarming her mind but she pushed through them and focused on Alex.

"…I'm here because…I couldn't help myself, I wanted to see you. From the stories everyone's told me…I just wanted to see for myself and well, just see you again in general" the tears brimming in the girl's eyes started to slowly trail down her cheeks.

"Do your parents know you're here? Who are your parents in fact?" Roy stepped beside Diggle and Sara who still couldn't help but stare at the teenage vigilante that was apparently Felicity's daughter from the future.

Alex glanced down at the floor, fastening her eyes shut tight before looking up and at Oliver.

"…my full name's Alex Dearden Smoak-Queen and my father's Oliver Queen" still her voice continued to shake, Oliver backing up at the power of the words and at the last name, turning to gaze over at Felicity in awe.

There was no way they…they didn't…they wouldn't…could they possibly be married in the future?

Silence fluttered around the team members, Alex's gaze flicking from Felicity to Oliver then back to Felicity once more but in a way that held such a sadness about it.

That's when Oliver finally found his voice.

"You said you're to see Felicity, what…what did you mean by that? Why would you come all this way just to see her if in the future she's your mother?" frowning at his future-daughter, something he never thought he'd say in his lifetime, Oliver observed as Alex then took off her mask, letting it hang around her neck.

Taking the chance to scan his eyes over his daughter, Oliver then began taking in the distinguishing features; the way she held herself like his own stance, her long and black hair and how he remembered Felicity telling him she dyed her own, her piercing blue eyes staring back at them reminding him of Felicity's, her nose and chin like his own though.

She truly looked like Felicity and him.

Regarding her father, Alex seemed to shed another tear when she gazed upon him, again looking back to Felicity.

"…in the future, my mother…she gives her life saving me…you told me to run and not look back, you said that you'd be right behind me…but you weren't…then the building exploded" gasps echoed round the foundry, all eyes on Felicity but the only pair she was able to feel was that of Oliver's and her daughter's. "It's been a year and I-I…can't, it just hurts too much…I-I can't…" trailing off as the dam breaks Felicity bands her arms around Alex's shoulders, bringing her as close as possible to her own body as Alex weeps into her chest above her heart, arms tightening their hold around her mother's waist. "…I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry…I didn't want you to…" sobbing apologies into her, Felicity cups the back of Alex's head as the teen moves her head into the crook of her neck once more.

Lowering her head so her mouth is at the same level with her ear, Felicity whispers into the girl's ear.

"Listen to me, if I-" Oliver couldn't help the breath that caught in his throat when he watched as Felicity easily took up the responsibility of a mother and comforted their daughter, taking the place that the future her was taken away from "-gave my own life to save yours, there isn't a possible chance that I could ever regret that decision. I'll never regret saving my child's life over my own and there is nothing in this Universe that could possibly change that, do you understand?"

"…but I d-d-didn't want you t-to go" her voice stuttered as sobs wracked her form, her hands fisting the material of her jacket in a white knuckle grip. "…w-why did you have to g-g-go?"

"Some lives are worth saving more than others especially given the circumstances" feeling Alex shake her head frantically, Felicity made shushing noises to quieten her, trying her best to hold back her own tears at just how much her future death affected her daughter.

Stepping up to the pair, Oliver began stroking his child's back above where Felicity's right hand splayed out in the curve of her back. Being rewarded by Alex's head turning his way and one of her hands reaching over to clutch at his hand, Alex couldn't help herself but cry even more as she witnessed the love and adoration from both her parents (well the younger versions), it truly had been a long time she last saw her father relax, since her mother and his wife had perished in the explosion to her he'd been significantly different from how he used to be. Previously she remembered him to be happy and carefree, memories bombarding her of how she and her mother used to dance around the house not caring about the outside world and her dad would laugh at how silly they probably looked but he still joined the two of them. Tommy, her older brother, would always join in at some point, usually being the one to compete against their dad to see just who had the stronger body, he always lost.

Tommy, God why didn't she think of him before, he and her dad would both be probably searching for her but at this point she didn't seem to fully think about that for she was finally in her mum's arms and she felt _home_ again.

Alex couldn't stop the memory of the event that took her mother haunt her mind once again, her grip of her mother's jacket and her father's hand tightening to somehow anchor her to a reality she never wanted to leave, eyes bolting shut to fight against the horror of the events that had stolen her mum from her when she was sixteen years old.

She once believed in the saying 'It's always darker before the dawn' but when that explosion took the life of her mother…that belief went up in smoke.

How can a dawn crack alongside a sunrise be so beautiful when her mother could never again be there with her to enjoy it?

It had been something she used to love to do every morning and had passed it on as something she and Alex would bond all the more over but now…it was just foreign to her.

_"…mum, I'm scared, what if they catch us?" Alex cowered in the corner as her mum checked their surroundings from where they both crouched behind one of the crates scattered round the perimeter of the warehouse, providing them with decent cover from their attackers. _

_Mud caked over their jean-clad knees and randomly over the surface of their clothing from where they had been tied up and almost tortured, if it hadn't been for Felicity they would still be in their primary position when they first woke, then throwing their bodies through countless amounts of mud and soil to escape the lines of sight of the guards on the outer perimeter inside the warehouse. _

_Alex remained in the dark as to the current location of her father and his team was but in this circumstance, she found herself unwilling to consider even caring. _

_Turning herself to face her daughter that was a definite mini version of herself and her loving husband, excluding the dark brown locks that Felicity once had when she had been younger, Felicity cupped her daughter's face within her palms, unconsciously stroking her left thumb over her cheek and guided Alex's eyes to her own. _

_"Stop thinking about what could happen because there's no way I am going to let it happen to you alright. No matter what I promise you that you will get away from here and I always keep my promises. Trust your instincts because they will always guide you to the light, they will always protect you" the strength of her voice radiated through Alex's very being, warming her core to the power her mother held in her body all by herself. _

_Her father was right, her mother was remarkable. _

_"I love you mum"_

_"And I love you Alex, you're my flesh and blood so that means a part of me will always run through your veins. I will always be there in you, all you have to do look and you'll find me" _

_Wiping a tear rolling down her daughter's cheek, Felicity turned her head back to their current situation and mapped out their escape route, exhaling a breath of relief when she saw a glimpse of the familiar colour green. _

_"Alex, listen to me you see over there? What we're both going to do is we're going to run, okay, I want you to run and not look back behind you alright, you understand me?" gazing in the accustomed sight of the strength roaring through her mother's body, the same sight she found in her father also, Alex inhaled deeply before nodding. _

_"What about you, mum?"_

_"Don't you worry about me, I will be right behind you okay?"  
"I understand, just run…don't look back, I love you" why she couldn't stop herself from repeating those three words to her, she would never know but if anything did happen Alex wanted her to know how much she loved her. _

_"I will never stop loving you" cupping her daughter's cheeks again, cataloguing every feature, Felicity knew what she would have to do would have an effect but it was necessary for her daughter to escape. _

_Oh Alex, please forgive her for this. _

_Oliver, please understand…_I love you.

_"Now run" instructing her daughter, the little girl she once held in her arms as such a small and vulnerable baby. _

_Setting off both mother and daughter sprinted full blast across the yard, Felicity diverting her path and heading straight into the warehouse and towards the stash of explosives she'd pre-discovered along the way, tackling one of their attackers to the ground and using his gun to set off the count down. _

_Her mind began filling with her last thoughts of her family, both the secondary one she's found along the way and the one she'd created with Oliver. _

…7…

_Her mother who had raised and loved her all on her own, who taught her to always fight for what she believed in and never to be put down by anyone. _

…6…

_Her loving and doting husband who she will never, for the life of her, stop loving and everything they'd fought through together side by side. All the memories they've created over the years. _

…5…

_Her son, her firstborn, Tommy and how much he took after his father. _

…4…

_Her daughter Alex and how strong she stood, her mother's strength roaring through her very being. _

…3…

_The original team that had been made right from the beginning. _

…2…

_The ones who've been there right from the start; Diggle who'll always be her brother from another mother, Lyla and their son Andy, Roy her little brother, Thea her little sister, Sara a lifelong friend and sister, Nyssa a secondary sister, Laurel and Lance who she always believed in to be her second and true father. _

…1…

_Her own family being safe and able to continue living their life. _

…0…

_Closing her eyes and exhaling the last breath in her body with a smile as the rush of heat engulfed her body, her mind scorching with thoughts of all those of whom she loved and was loved by. _

_Her life was complete and worth living for. _

BOOM!_  
_

_Flinching when the unexpected explosion took down the warehouse in one blow, their attackers with it, Alex rushed towards the place where she'd been directed to run to by her mother. When she didn't hear her mother's hurried footsteps, Alex slowed her pace and checked over her shoulder and halted immediately when the scene met her. _

_Her mother was nowhere to be seen. _

_As her body collided with a hard surface, Alex put up a fight to rush back to her mother's last position but a resistance met her. Snapping her gaze to the hard surface, her eyes fell upon the sight of her father's concerned and stoic look as his own gaze flicked around the area for his wife. _

_"Where's Felicity?" taking in the picture of his daughter in tears fighting to return to the rubble where the warehouse once stood a mere two minutes ago. _

_She couldn't speak, her throat closed up around a sob, her hands clenching into fists in the material of his green hoodie. _

_"Where is she?" Oliver tightened his hold of her, bringing her own body closer to his in the process when the sobs shook her world in both senses. _

_Tommy, Diggle, Roy, Lance and Sara all rushed to their position, taking in the burning building too. _

_That's when Oliver pieced it together. _

_Holding Alex back as she tried in vain to break out of her father's grasp and return to her mother's side, Oliver's strength began failing him so she managed to wriggle free from her dad but unfortunately ran straight into her Uncle Diggle, who automatically picked her up and began carrying her away towards the cars parked off to the side. _

_Silence suffocated them all excluding the sound of the fire crackling from the distance of the yard. _

_His wife was gone. _

_His soul mate, the mother of his children, his best friend, his entire world…his everything was gone. _

_Falling to his knees staring off at the destruction that held the body of the love of his life, Oliver began screaming, crying her name. _

_Feeling a presence at his side he didn't need to look, he already knew it was his son Tommy. _

_Assuming his father's position on his knees, Tommy burrowed his head into his father's shoulder and allowed the sobs to escape him. _

_"FELICITY!" Oliver roared, tears pouring down his face but he didn't care. _

_She couldn't be gone, she couldn't leave him alone, leave their family alone. She was needed more than she knew. _

_Oliver refused to believe that Felicity Smoak-Queen was dead. _

_That was the first day of the end of his life. _

As Alex breathed in the feel of the comfort her mother radiated from her very being, Alex finally after so long felt safe. Something she had been missing for so long.

Oliver breathed deeply, gazing intently at the two figures before him as something washed over him, a feeling of his stomach twisting and he didn't need to be a genius to figure out what it was.

This was his family, his wife and his child.

He couldn't even think of what it must've been like for the future them, to have lost someone that meant so much to them.

Eyes cutting to Felicity, who was showing such a courageous front, he refused to imagine her giving her life to save that of their daughter, he _couldn't _believe it, couldn't believe in a world without her.

Not being able to hold back, Oliver took both Felicity and Alex into the circle of his arms, the team looking on to the three of them with a knowing look.

Feeling both the two women in his arms gave him such a feeling of strength he couldn't describe but he could describe one thing.

He had finally found his home.

Tomorrow they'd worry about their future daughter being in the past but for now, they would be the family that Alex knew, Oliver and Felicity taking the first step to the rest of their lives but one thing was for definite.

There was no way in hell he could ever lose his wife or allow Alex to lose her mother and by God if it took every ounce of strength from his very soul he would keep that promise.


	54. The Dare

**This prompt has been in my mind for a hell of a long time so screw it, here ya go, knock yourselves out...not literally obviously. **

**As always, leave a review and tell me your thoughts. **

**Thanks and enjoy x**

"Why do I always get myself into these types of situations all the time?" Felicity sighed, throwing her head back in exasperation to look at the ceiling of the foundry as the rest of the team, excluding Oliver, sat in a circle on the training mats.

"Because you love a good dare" Tommy chuckled, wrapping his arm round her shoulders, howling when Felicity pinched his side.

"Alright Felicity, truth or dare" Thea giggled at her half-brother's reaction, his puppy-dog pout at Felicity who simply replied with a smirk.

"I'm not going with truth again, learnt my lesson on that one-" turning a pointed look in the direction of a certain blonde and brunette grinning opposite her, "-thanks Sara and Nyssa for that one, so dare"

"Dare, what can we do for you…which sounds like an extremely bad slogan for a company or something" giggling at the fact that Thea had spent way too much time around her, Felicity prayed to a God that was hopefully listening for the dare not to be too bad.

Then Thea grinned deviously and….great, apparently the God's weren't listening today.

"Well we all know, more than wanted, that Ollie is rather clingy when it comes to Felicity and disgustingly sappy…so, Felicity I dare you to ignore Ollie for an entire week and before you ask, that means you have to ignore him at both QC and here at the foundry. Think you're up for the challenge?"

"Oh God, that is so not going to be ending well for you at all Lissy" Laurel giggled into Tommy's shoulder, rubbing her hands together.

"Great now I'm going to have to deal with a horny Arrow, why me" Felicity grumbled to herself.

"Argh, Blondie nobody needs to know about the details about what you and Oliver do in your spare time!" Roy made gagging noises from the back of his throat.

"At least you lot have only been dealing with it for a couple months, I've been dealing with it from the beginning" Diggle exclaimed, running his hand down his face before Lyla took hold of it and entwined their fingers, rendering him unable to not smile.

"So this dare, I'm not allowed to talk to Oliver right? How is that going to possibly work, we basically live together anyways?"

"Looks like you're going to have to find a way"

* * *

It had only been three days and Felicity already knew that this dare was going to be more fun to do than she originally thought and Oliver, well…he's been Oliver.

Literally, Oliver was so confused by her sudden avoidance of him, treating him like you would the plague.

He tried speaking to her at QC but she just abruptly up and left due to random meetings with investors of multiple sections of QC or that Sara and Nyssa or Laurel or Thea wanted had set a lunch date. He tried speaking to her at the foundry but always the team had her back, coming up with missions and co-ops that needed to be completed by a set deadline.

When Felicity refused to speak a single word to him, Oliver pouted that adorable look that forced her to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from smiling but when it was known there wasn't going to be a reaction from her, Oliver had stormed out of the foundry like a petulant child that had just been scalded for stealing from the cookie jar before dinner.

It made them all laugh when the coast was clear.

One thing she knew more than most was that this dare concocted by Thea had actually became a cockblock to Oliver's sexual activities that he thoroughly enjoyed, most often being after a long day's work full of nothing but problems and more problems to be fixed, it made Felicity shiver at the thought of how tense his body must be running but it never made her want to give it only persuaded her to double her efforts.

Surprisingly though, the more times Felicity ignored him, the more determined Oliver became. Diggle, Lyla, Thea, Roy, Sara, Nyssa, Tommy and Laurel though were certainly not helping things any more by their innuendos either.

Oliver had tried various ways in which to gain her attention but they had all resulted in the vast abyss. By organising her time, Felicity had actually come up with a way in which she could avoid Oliver altogether at both QC and Arrow work so it in all made it so much easier for her which she was thoroughly grateful for.

For days now, Felicity could actually feel Oliver's gaze scorching holes in her body and she mentally patted herself on the back when her body didn't react with a typically shiver but that didn't stop her from sneaking in gazes from where she'd hacked into the CCTV camera in Oliver's office.

Thea had also made it clear that she was to avoid all looks from Oliver and vice versa but she didn't say anything about using the cameras as her eyes and right now, Oliver's gaze was so heavy she had a strong feeling she would definitely be hearing about it by the end of the week.

But to hell with the consequences, this was _so worth it_.

* * *

Sending his fists rhythmically into the abdomen of the dummy in the foundry, Oliver released all his pent up frustration.

It had days since Felicity last spoke to him, looked at him….anything regarding him in fact and honestly it was getting to his head and he didn't even know why, what he had possibly done wrong to deserve this.

He'd actually lost count of the days Felicity's ignored him for but to him, it felt like years.

Felicity still spoke with the others but acted as if he wasn't even in the room.

He missed her in all the senses you could possibly miss somebody and the comments being made from his team certainly weren't helping, the innuendos that Felicity typically accidently spoke aloud just made all his blood run down south, adding to the tension that had just been boiling up and increased his stress level all the more.

No matter what he tried, his attempts went up in smoke.

He never knew he could possibly miss a single person this significantly.

"Hey Ollie, you sure are looking quite tense over there. Maybe you need a good workout to relieve some of that stress…you know that makes me wonder what Felicity does in her spare time all alone in her bedroom with her frustration boiling up. I'm sure she has quite a fun time adapting to pleasure herself throughout the night, don't you think Roy?" Sara grinned as she and Roy sparred out on the training mats.

Releasing a deep growl that reverberated through the foundry as he threw out a vigorous punch, the dummy snapped into two pieces with splinters scattering across the floor. "THAT'S IT, I'M DONE!" his tone commanding the room into absolute silence as Oliver strode over to snatch his shirt from where it laid across the back of Felicity's chair.

This had gone on long enough and he hated being separate from Felicity like this and he was resolute in ending whatever was going on between the two of them.

If Oliver had been in his right mind, he would've realised that a certain hoodie was missing from the glass case displaying his uniform.

* * *

Slamming the front door open, Oliver called out Felicity's name…nothing. Grumbling inwardly about stupid fights and whatnot, he started searching the house room by room.

Reaching the bedroom, what he found was something he never thought he would imagine even in his wildest thoughts.

There kneeling in the centre of the bed clad in nothing but his hoodie and dark green stockings was his girlfriend, waiting for _him_.

Not waiting for another incentive when her eyes darkened and a smirk plastered itself across her face, Oliver paced over towards the bed, striping off his jacket in the process before practically tackling Felicity to the bed and trapping her between the confines of their bed and his unbelievably hard body.

Fusing his lips to hers before any words were passed between them, Oliver pressed his obvious desire for her against her stomach as he made up for the empty days when it was nothing but his mere hand which was nothing compared to Felicity. Growling with pleasure when she wrapped her arms about his neck, running her fingers through his short tufts, the kiss deepened immensely.

Pulling back reluctantly, Oliver peered beneath him to Felicity's gaze and saw an amused expression making its way across her face.

"You've been ignoring me _for the past week_ Felicity, do you have any idea what that's done to me?" speaking his words into the skin of her neck, Oliver couldn't help but sigh in relief when a shudder coursed through her body and his touch.

"That's not exactly my fault" Felicity couldn't help but laugh at the darkened state of Oliver's gaze, the lust speaking languages with her.

"How do you mean?" tracing his teeth over the skin of her neck, he really had no intention of holding himself back tonight, if he had the chance to connect their bodies it is definite he's going to jump at the chance.

Tonight, Felicity's his and in he'll be the one in charge.

"Last weekend I was playing 'Truth or Dare' with the group and well…I chose dare, so Thea decided to come up with the dare that I had to ignore you for an entire week. Meaning no touching, no talking, no long gazes or any eye contact period…so yeah, not my fault. Although I'd never thought it'd rile you up _this _much, since I can feel just how much against my stomach, so actually I think it's a win-win situation" when Felicity felt his reaction to her words from the deep rumble in his chest, she knew this night wouldn't be ending for a while.

"…you were…dared, to ignore me…for an _entire week_?" increasing the pressure of his lower half against her own, Oliver glanced down into her eyes. "Well then it seems not only do we have _a lot _to catch up on but it seems some revenge is in order…but first, and more importantly, I believe I need my hood back Ms. Smoak" slowly zipping his hoodie, Felicity's smirk deepened into one of smugness at what lay beneath.

All blood rushed down south at the sight of Felicity beneath him in nothing but a dark green and black lace garter belt that emphasised her breasts and lower half nicely, making Oliver known to which the speed his heart was pounding, his hoodie nestled around her upper half.

Shifting herself, bringing her legs up to cradle his hips and nudge his arse with her ankles, pressing them both closer all the more and making him groan.

"Well I just thought I could make it interesting for you" she shrugging, sneaking her hands down towards his arse but Oliver gripped her wrists and locked them up over her head, guiding her gaze to his and she swallowed the gasp when she took in his predatory look.

"For a week, Felicity, you've kept me on the edge and I believe it's time we both get some relief from all this but not before I've released all the frustration you've all caused, so you might want to hold on tight"

"…you know I'm still unsure if this counts as platonic circumstances or not"

"Trust me Felicity, by the time I'm done with you, you'll change that opinion" gulping at the promise, Felicity couldn't begin to imagine the position she'd just set herself up in.

* * *

If any member of the team noticed Felicity's weird walk or Oliver's smug smirk, none of them said a word.

Thea was already planning her next number.


	55. Daddy's Girl

**My apologies for the long wait for another update for this. I'm trying to get out more for you guys so anyways here you go, I know it's kind of a sappy one but who cares, I'm a sucker for them. **

**Btw, I dare you to read this while listening to a song like 'Here Comes Goodbye' by Rascal Flatts or 'If Heaven Was Needing A Hero' by Jo Dee Messina, and see how far you get. **

**As always, leave a review and tell me your thoughts and also if there's any more sappy things you want me to write.**

**Thanks and enjoy x**

Unlocking the door with a half-sleeping Tommy, her three year old son, cradled in her left arm and shopping bags in the other, Felicity struggled through the front door and breathed a sigh of relief when she finally had the bags on the breakfast table in the middle of the kitchen and kicked off her heels.

"…mummy, can you sing to me?" she felt Tommy murmur against the skin of her neck where his face was currently burrowed, his thumb held firm in his mouth like he typically spent his day.

"Of course honey, I just need to let your father know we're home then you can go to bed and I'll sing you your lullaby, okay?" wandering into the living room while rearranging her son so both her arms wrapped around the child, holding him securely to her front as her left arm was dying from balancing him on her hip while also carrying the shopping bags in.

Thank God she'd got the frozen food yesterday.

"…'kay, mummy" smiling when she felt her son slowly drift off in her arms, Felicity paused in her steps at the sight in front of her.

There bundled up on the left side of the forest green couch was the famous Arrow covered with a pink fluffy blanket with the Disney Princesses on it which sheltered the figure of their five year old daughter Zoey asleep with her father's arms firmly bound round her petite body while the TV still played….Frozen.

Biting her lip to stop the overwhelming urge to laugh aloud, Felicity fastened her eyes shut and willed the urge away before moving to her husband's side.

The big, bad vigilante watching a girl's movie always made her laugh no matter how long she'd been living with it, the picture still brought a smile to her face as she still could never imagine this happening a good few years back.

Moving to cover her husband up with the large green blanket that he had draped over himself beneath his daughter, before leaning in to kiss his temple, smiling against him when she felt him sigh in contentment and lean into her, then proceeding to replay her action with her daughter also, Felicity began towards the stairs to put Tommy down but Oliver's hand banded about her waist. Looking back up to her husband, her gaze locked with his own relaxed and rather drowsy one.

"Stay" whispering so he didn't wake their sleeping kids, Felicity knew she was feeling rather exhausted as well from the long day at work then picking Tommy up from nursery, Oliver having stayed at home with Zoey for she claimed she wasn't feeling too well, so caved almost instantly by snatching up Tommy's blanket they always had lying over the back right side of the couch before making herself at home against Oliver's side to which he automatically wrapped him right arm around her waist and leant her more against him so that her head rested fully on his shoulder, arranging the 'Arrow' blanket as she called it over her own body as she brought her feet up onto the coffee table in front of her.

Smiling at her family that she and Oliver had created, Felicity allowed her eyes to leisurely droop before gently drifting off into oblivion where she was met with dreams that still left her wondering if she was even living reality or not.

* * *

Smiling at the scene in front of her as a lone tear trailed down her face at the sight of her daughter's big day and Oliver walking his little girl down the aisle towards her soon-to-be husband, the depth Oliver had grilled Dylan always made her laugh and all their friends, and his own tears brimming in his eyes.

Standing at the traditional song as her husband escorted their daughter down the aisle, returning a warm smile at Zoey as she threw a watery smile her way.

Ever since Zoey had been a young girl, Felicity had always looked forward to the time when she'd watch her little girl begin her happily ever after, starting a new chapter of her own to her new life.

The amount of tears she had shed when they had gone shopping for a wedding dress was unimaginable but it always ended in laughter since Zoey could never find it in her to fault her mother for she's always been her rock throughout whatever life hurtled her way.

It was Felicity's dream come true when Zoey smiled a brilliant smile and saw her daughter raw happiness brightening up the building as Oliver gave her hand to Dylan, patting his almost son-in-law on the back before returning to his wife's side and clutching hold of her hand in his own, his thumb brushing over her wedding and engagement bands.

* * *

Watching as the bride and groom danced their first dance as husband and wife on the dance floor to 'Kiss Me' by Sixpence None the Richer, Felicity stood beside Tommy as the DJ announced the father and daughter dance, Oliver taking Zoey up into his arms and instantly spinning her around like he used to when she was younger.

"You know we did an amazing job with them both" Felicity guided his gaze to their son with his own fiancée dancing off to the side of his sister, Felicity's head on Oliver's shoulder.

"We did, didn't we and I couldn't have done any of it without you Felicity"

"Well obviously, I am the one who carried and birthed both of them" not helping the sarcasm, followed by radiant smile, Felicity just laughed at the look on her husband's face.

"Watch it" bringing his wife closer to him so they were within a hair's distance of one another's faces, Oliver moved his hand slightly lower.

"You know for a second there, I thought you were going to say Smoak"

"It's Smoak-Queen" growling into her skin, making her shiver in response, something Oliver never grew old of, no matter how long he'd spent with her it made him warm inside to know that she still reacted like that to him.

"Oh, don't I know it, if the rings on my finger say anything to that"

"A reminder of the best decision of my life"

"You big sap"

"Only with you, Felicity, only you…I love you"

"And I love you"

As Zoey danced with her younger brother, they both spared their parents a glance and neither one could help the way they teared up at the love still present for one another and oh so strong that was like the northern star.

All she hoped was that she could find a love as peaceful and fulfilling as her parent's but nothing could ever be as strong as theirs for no matter how many years passed between the two of them, they remained partners in life…always there for one another.

A love that strong could never be separated.


	56. Second Chance

**Wow, it's been such a goddamn long time since I last uploaded. Well that's what it's felt like anyways. So yeah, I'm currently working on multiple fanfics right now and I'm thinking about taking a couple and turning them into multi-chapter ones so that's fun, oh and then there's G.C.S.E's to worry about and revising so I can get a good grade. Fun, huh? _I'm not holding my breath_. **

**Anyways, as always please leave a review and tell me your thoughts. **

**Thanks and enjoy x**

**P.S. don't forget to leave prompts if you have any. I think I may start challenging myself to begin writing more domestic fanfics so if any of you can give me a hand with some ideas, that'll be great and of course I'll give you a shoutout. **

If anyone asked him what had happened that night, Oliver would never be absolutely sure but what he did know was one second he was dressed in his Arrow costume and the next…nothing.

There was heat, a bright light then nothing.

* * *

"Oliver? Oliver, are you up yet?" faintly shifting himself on what felt like a mattress, Oliver slowly came to, memories previous colliding with such a force into him meanwhile.

He had been in an explosion.

The building he had been in had exploded.

Falling back on the instincts booted in from his five year island/Hong Kong experience, Oliver steadily began making himself aware of where he currently was.

Eyes fluttering open, everything seemed familiar in a way that he should know but couldn't place his finger on.

That's when it hit him smack bang in his stomach with such a vigour it left him gasping for breath.

He was in his room, in the Queen's mansion.

Shooting up with his bed covers pooling around his hips, Oliver's clenched hand came up to press against his chest over where his heart lay beneath pounding so hard he swore it was going to pound right out of his skin.

Memories of why he didn't stay at the mansion anymore clouded his mind, memories of his mother being impaled by his former best friend's blade right in front of him and his younger sister.

Stripping the duvet from his body and pushing to his feet, Oliver bypassed the glimpse of himself in pyjamas as he passed by his mirror, and heading straight for his door, he didn't halt his movement until he was atop the grand staircase looking over the foyer of the mansion and paused.

There with a newspaper held out in front of her face was his _dead _mother.

_No_, it wasn't possible…h-he must be dreaming.

"Oliver, dear, I'm glad to finally see you up. How are you feeling? I was beginning to feel like you were lost to us after-" Moira didn't have the chance to finish her sentence as Oliver went flying down the staircase and collided with the body of his mother, wrapping his arms around her and basically wrapping himself around her. "…Oliver? Dear, what's gotten in to you? It's as if you haven't seen me for years"

"…it's honestly felt like it" mumbling into Moira's shoulder as he buried his face in the comfort that was his mother and her being…well _alive_.

* * *

Oliver was completely lost at this point.

Everything seemed like it was the same for him, well despite the fact that his supposed _dead _mother wasn't very dead at all.

The Queen's had the mansion but had still lost the company, Thea was living still at home with him and their mother, Verdant was still running with his vigilante business running in the basement.

So why did things feel so…cold?

Reaching into his back pocket and fishing out his phone, Oliver scrolled through each and every one of his contacts and still, everyone was there.

What the hell had happened to him?

* * *

"So let me get this straight, the last thing you remember is being in an explosion as the Arrow and waking up to your supposed 'dead' mother that in the other world you were in, Moira was killed by Slade in front of you and Thea?" sitting opposite Diggle in the basement of Verdant, Oliver had had a go at attempting to explain what in the world had happened to him.

"Pretty much that, so you can guess how confused I was and by the way, where's Felicity? Shouldn't she be here by now?" looking around the lair as if half expecting the blonde in question to suddenly pop up, Oliver scanned the area and strangely the computers looked as if they were haunted.

Frowning at that and Digg's sudden silence, Oliver turned his gaze on his former bodyguard puzzled who was now scraping his hand down his face as he sat back on the weaponry table behind him.

"Diggle…where's Felicity?" taking a couple steps forward, Oliver didn't know why he felt the need to reach over to her lone computer chair upon feeling his knees as if they were about to give out on him, if Diggle's face was anything to go by. "…Diggle…w-where is she?"

"I-If what you're saying is true a-and you're from an apparent alternate universe….oh God, you might want to take a seat for this" waiting for his brother in arms to complete the action, Diggle took a steady breath, knowing Oliver wasn't going to react well. "So in your world, Slade murdered your mother right in front of you and Thea…correct?"

"Diggle, where are you going with this?"

"…look man, in this world…the attack, the car accident still happened. Slade had you all tied up when you came to, from what you and Moira told me, Slade was giving you a choice of your sister or your mother but Fel-Felicity…she rescued you from having to make that decision by shooting Slade but it wasn't enough. He still came at Moira but she was relentless in the attack" turning his gaze to the ceiling, Oliver found his hands covering his mouth as he sat hunched forward in her chair, in _Felicity's _chair, waiting for the other weight to drop. Oliver never found himself praying that he was wrong more than he was in that sole moment. "Felicity sacrificed herself by taking his blade instead of Moira, Thea…or y-you….she saved you all"

"…no...no, it's not true…please, Digg, tell me it's not true. Digg, please for the love of…please tell me she's okay, tell me Felicity's going to walk in through those doors and everything will be okay…" making no move to wipe away the tears streaming now streaming down his face.

"S-she asked me to tell you she loved you, she never s-stopped loving you Oliver, no matter what. The last words she said before she…was that the essence of heroism is to die so that others can live, she regretted _nothing_" clenching his hand into a tight fist, Digg tried his best to keep the lid atop his emotions where it concerned Felicity but how could he?

Felicity had been like a younger sister to him in all the years they had worked together and to see her go through something that should've left her feeling vulnerable to the world yet made her smile in the fact being known that nobody else was dying that night but her.

_Everyone else was safe_.

"No, no, no…NO! This wasn't supposed to happen to her! N-none of this was supposed to h-happen…oh God no" falling into a heap on the floor, Oliver couldn't help the onslaught of pain that embraced his entire being.

* * *

Holding his breath, Oliver couldn't help but fall to his knees before the gravestone that held the body of the only woman that had understood him, had accepted him with all his scars, faults and nightmares that came with his life. The only woman he could let in and be himself with.

It was official.

_Felicity Smoak was dead_ and he was as good as.

* * *

From that point on, everything just seemed...vacant and dismal, as if his life missed a key purpose in his reasoning for breathing.

It's as if his life had become like a shadow, passing through him as he closed himself off from the rest of the world. Spending most of his time at her grave just wishing he had taken the blade instead of her, Oliver couldn't find it in himself to possibly accept what had happened, Felicity sacrificing herself, her own life that was far from over, in exchange for that of his own family.

Day after day, countless nights, Oliver spent kneeled in front of her grave, praying for a miracle, begging every corner of the globe that his light hadn't been taken from him. From that point on, he couldn't really find himself to care as to what happened to him.

His family came by, sometimes for Felicity and sometimes for him. Thea often sat beside him and talked to her as though she were right in front of them speaking back, thanking her, wishing she could've known her. Moira came by often, always apologising for her actions and that she sacrificed herself in her own place, wishing she could've gotten to know the remarkable woman that put that of a family before herself.

Even Lance stopped by with Laurel and more often than not, Sara, who never managed to hold back on the flood of tears brimming behind the barrier. Lance had always considered the woman as a daughter and Sara a sister, somebody that she could always trust to accept her no matter what she had to do to survive in the cruel world.

So when Oliver collapsed in front of her grave, he didn't care he only hoped that this would enable him to see her again.

* * *

"Oliver! Would you wake up?" Diggle's familiar voice broke him from his thoughts as a coldness swept down his spine. "Careful man, you just got out of a coma. You were in an explosion, out for a good few hours too"

"…Digg-" breaking off in a cough at his dry throat, Oliver's eyes darted round the lair, taking in his new surroundings. "…Felicity…where's Felicity?" bypassing the other members of the team of Roy and Sara that both stood opposite and beside Digg, Oliver's eyes only searched for one pair of blue.

"Easy man, she took the day off, remember? Hey where are you going?" dodging the grabby hands that his team were sending his way, wobbly steps moving him towards the stairs and up in the direction of his bike.

_Please let it be false…please let her still be alive_.

* * *

Relishing in finally being able to take advantage of her night off, Felicity had automatically put on the Avengers movie and bundled herself up beneath one of her favourite blankets, her fluffy tan chinchilla coloured throw blanket while resting her head on the marshmallow pillow covering the arm of her couch.

Upon hearing a pounding at her door, Felicity had grumbled about 'so much for peace and quiet' as she reluctantly got up to answer the door, not having the inner strength or will to remove the blanket from around her shoulders.

"Oliver? What are you doing here I-" pausing when Oliver launched himself at her the moment she fully opened the door, within seconds finding herself a close recipient to his well-built chest.

Confused by his heaving chest, Felicity fell back into her comfort instincts and wrapped her arms around Oliver's neck, splaying one of her hands on the back of his head as he buried his head into the crook of her shoulder, stuttered breaths being pulled from his throat. "…Oliver? What happened is something wrong?"

"I just had a nightmare is all…you can never imagine your worst fears until they're playing right in front of your face"

"Then that must've been one hell of a fear to make you react like this"

"You haven't the slightest idea…Felicity is it alright if I stay with you tonight?"

"Course you can, though just to warn you I am watching Avengers" not being able to stop the smile from spreading onto his face at the smile in Felicity's voice when he knew she was referencing to Hawkeye and how Oliver complained ardently over the method he used with his bow.

Following Felicity into her townhouse, Oliver gratefully accepted Felicity's offered clothes he suspected were from previous lovers in her life.

_That word was still creepy no matter how he said it_.

Settling himself down on the couch, _that was much wider than he initially thought_, behind Felicity as she tucked her fluffy throw blanket over the both of them before relaxing back into her original position with her head burrowed into marshmallow that was the pillow of the couch arm brought more peace washing over him than he couldn't ever imagined.

Slipping his left arm beneath Felicity's head and banding his other around her waist, Oliver embraced the harmonious thoughts settling his mind that Felicity was _alive _and _with him_, with no intention of going anywhere if the movie she had playing had anything to say about it.

* * *

Halfway through the film, Felicity had turned into him and was now currently lying completely enveloped in Oliver's embrace as Oliver himself leisurely drifted off into oblivion at peace with the knowledge that Felicity was safe and with him.

Using his last shreds of consciousness to trace his eyes over her portrait, Oliver found himself smiling at how even when she was asleep, Felicity looked so light and fresh and by God even if it killed him, there was no way on this Earth that he was going to allow her light to diminish that easily.

A world and a life without Felicity Smoak was not only unthinkable but unbearable.


	57. I Never Meant To Hurt You

**So setting the scene for this story, this is somewhere between S2 and S3. Felicity and Oliver are together as a couple and running QC together, this isn't following the storyline of Arrow really tbh. This is an idea that wouldn't leave me alone so, yep here it is. **

Exhaling the deep breath she'd taken the moment she got to the lobby of the penthouse apartment she now shared with Oliver, Felicity breathed a sigh of relief when she was finally able to take of those dreaded _devil _shoes, as she'd dubbed them during her hard day at work and thus an entire day of being forced to walk around QC and torture her feet for the long haul.

Today she'd not only had to put up with the onslaught of demands coming from QC's board not only as VP but also, _thanks to certain Queen,_ the CEO too upon her own shoulders since Oliver had needed to take the day off because of another business but to say she'd had a crap day would be putting it lightly. It was as if all the problems in the span of a week, or hell even a_ month_, had decided to gang up on her and divert their attention to this sole day _just for her_.

How _lucky_ was she?

"Note to self, never wear these devils until I've broken them in for at least a week. Well at least now I finally get to relax" leaning back against the wall of the private elevator solely for the use of those in the penthouse, Felicity closed her eyes and relished in the feeling of the coldness of the elevator floor against her sore and throbbing feet.

As the floors begun a countdown to the penthouse suite, Felicity snatched up the handle of her bag and slung it over into its usual place beside the table where they kept the car keys and whatnot that didn't really have a specific place, ditching her heels by the door, turning and locking it behind her.

Considering Oliver's initial reason for not attending his work as the CEO today being about another format for the company and he may still be working, Felicity decided against the typical routine she had of calling out his name to let him know she was back.

Focusing her attention mainly on her phone as she padded barefoot down the hallway towards the lounge, Felicity turned the corner and was about to say something to Oliver, she'd previously left him on one of the couches in front of the TV, when her jaw dropped in disbelief at the sight before her.

There sitting quite comfortably side by side was her _boyfriend _and _his ex_, nobody other than fricking _Laurel Lance_ snogging on the couch where, as she'd said, she had left Oliver before going to work.

Words left her in that moment leaving her, for the first time in her life, utterly speechless, and apparently boneless too, as her phone dropped from her unresponsive hand, landing with a bang that reverberated round the penthouse, thus gaining the attention of both Oliver and Laurel.

Oliver's eyes immediately widened as his hand, that was previously resting on Laurel's hip began to rise, as if in a way it'd be able to reach over to her.

"…Felicity, this isn't what it looks like…I-I can explain-"

There it was.

_It isn't what it looks like_.

Oliver's words sparked an explosion of adrenaline to begin coursing through her veins, narrowing everything down to just one singular thing.

_Run. _

Turning on her heel, Felicity all but sprinted back into the elevator, hammering the 'CLOSE DOORS' button as Oliver's voice echoed around the room as the silhouette of his broad frame came into view, dashing after Felicity but failing to make it before the doors closed him off.

When she was in college all those years ago she'd had a length of time left unfilled and she knew she didn't cope with boredom as well as the next person so she'd signed herself up for the track team and surprisingly, it turned out she had a natural talent for it too.

Never had she thought it would come in handy so much in her life.

His desperate roars of her name making her sink back against the bitter tiled wall as she dropped her head to her hands, sliding her palms up to smother her ears and hopefully block out the sound of his pleading shouts to get her to return.

This couldn't be happening again.

Not to her, no _again_…please, _for the love of God_, not again.

First her mother and now her for a second time….._no_, it wasn't _fair_.

Why?

Compelling her shaking form to her feet to escape out of the doors and barely controlling her pace as she speed-walked across the lobby, thanking the Gods that were listening that nobody noticed her despair, Felicity didn't even note the poor weather until she felt her clothes dampening hastily and fusing to her frame.

Everything blurred together as it mixed with the pouring rain. Felicity wasn't even sure where in the world she was but as long as she kept moving, she prayed she'd be fine.

Reducing her movement to a steady walk when she was certain that she was far enough away from the block of apartments and Oliver, Felicity finally became aware of her position. Just up ahead happened to be her favourite coffee shop that she spent a considerable amount of her days at and, better yet, that nobody was aware of because she'd never brought anyone along with her to the shop.

It was her own secret and in this instance, she was overjoyed that it remained that way.

* * *

Pushing into the vacant shop, Felicity felt a wave of safety wash over her.

"Felicity?" a familiar voice exclaimed, diverting Felicity's attention over to the bar where the usual blonde stood. "_Oh my God_, are you alright? What happened to you?" hurdling over the top, the blonde made her way to Felicity.

Clarke was one of the waitresses that served here. She and Felicity had quickly become friends when they had developed a love of TVD _especially a certain Damon Salvatore_. "Holy hell, Liz, your feet…why in the world are you running barefoot through the rain?"

"…Oliver, he…he was kissed his ex…it's always going to be her, always _Laurel Lance_…why Clarke, why me? Am I not good enough for him anymore?" bypassing her shaky limbs as her words stuttered with the onslaught of tears masking the strength usually present in her voice.

"Lissy, don't you dare say that, you're above and beyond that Lance girl and if Oliver can't see that, can't see that you're all and more then he obviously has his head shoved way too far up his arse to see clearly. Before anything though, I need to clean your feet up" guiding Felicity over to one of the armchairs before yelling for Emily, another one of her friends she'd made in the coffee shop, to get the first aid kit while she closed the shop.

Glancing down at her feet, Felicity couldn't help the overwhelming feeling of nausea when she noted the blood caked around the brides of her feet and the still flowing streams of it that lead out from the pads of her feet.

She'd only just realised that she most likely had left her heels back at the penthouse, along with her jacket so that had solely left her in her work clothes; a black long sleeved dress that ended just above her knees with her new black pumps.

_Well, the black pumps that were back at the apartment. _

"Alright Liz, I'm going need for you to take a deep breath cause this is going to hurt like hell" Clarke stated, resting her feet up on her lap where she sat on the armchair opposite Felicity.

The pain, while making her yelp out in pain at the fire blazing through her leg, actually began to help to take her mind off the situation and weirdly slowly began to lessen the tide of anger crashing over her.

After cleaning her feet up, trying their best to ignore Felicity's cries of pain at the worst parts, both Clarke and Emily helped slip on a pair of flats to move Felicity from the shop to Clarke's apartment that was a short car journey away.

* * *

For the next couple days, Felicity remained on the more than comfortable bed of Clarke's guest bedroom in a borrowed pair of PJ's and slippers watching reruns of the 'Jeremy Kyle Show', in which the chaos within each of the shows partially made her feel better than she had.

During her stay at Clarke's, the only person she allowed herself to contact was Diggle to reassure him that she was safe as the entire team were completely freaking out about her abrupt _but understandable_ disappearance. Telling her to call him if she needed anything and that she was definitely safe, Diggle told her that she and Oliver needed to talk face to face and get this sorted out because he was officially losing it searching for her day and night, running on barely any sleep or energy.

"Felicity, I know he hurt you and trust me when I say both myself and Lyla had serious words with him about it, he told us that it really wasn't how it seemed, but that is a discussion that you need to have with him and just listen to him and let him explain himself. Even Thea, Sara, Roy and Lance told him how much he seriously fucked up. But please Felicity, despite all this, at least face him because he really is losing himself in trying to find you, nobody's ever seen him like this before Felicity. He _needs _this, more than anything really and hey if you can't, at least you can say you tried but, if it was me? I'd have it on my terms"

"…I don't John, it's not just the fact that he kissed Laurel, it's more along the lines of this is something that I've already been through and I'm not all too sure if I want to go through it again, if I can handle that pain again" the brittle state of her voice pained herself in her own ears.

"I understand that Felicity, I truly do, even I haven't forgiven him yet for the way he hurt you but this is really affecting him. I'm actually worried he may do something stupid, you know how he is. Oliver takes his frustration out with his fists"

"I'm not sure John, I haven't even had the courage to leave the bed, let alone the house and face him after what happened"

"Don't forget to tell him about your feet as well" Clarke shouted from where she laid at the foot of the bed with Felicity's feet on her stomach.

"…who was that and why was she talking about your feet?" she could already hear Digg's protective-older-brother voice coming into play.

"That's one of my two best friends that I'm staying with" glaring down at her, now having no choice but to tell the protective ex-marine about how she had to run barefoot through the rain because of her own stupid show decision that day. "…and when I ran out of the apartment I didn't think to bring any shoes with me, so I ran barefoot and may have cut my feet but before you say anything, I'm recovering and perfectly fin- CLARKE!" yelling at best friend as she snatched the phone out of Felicity's grasp, Felicity left unable to try to fight for it back as Emily was clearly a traitor working for the other side and lounged herself across her stomach.

"Hi, I'm Clarke, the best friend she's staying with. Oh btw, her foot situation is completely understated. When she showed up there was blood both caked on the bridge of her feet and still coming out of the pads of each foot also and rendering her unable to be mobile for that long. She also has to literally walk everywhere in these _really _soft slippers I got from…somewhere I've forgotten the name of, so the _'I'm fine' _BS she's trying to pull is complete baloney"

"….I'm going to kill him" upon hearing the growling down the phone, Clarke shrugged at Emily's curious look and pushing up from her position on the bed and left the room so Felicity wouldn't hear. "Truthfully, how is she?"

"Honestly….she's getting through it but something that's literally hurting me though is, you know how normally she's this babbling _I may be blonde but I'm not that blonde_, well she isn't like that anymore. I think this Oliver guy has really done a number on her. From what I've observed from Liz, she trusted him with her life but now…it's to an extent and even that's beginning to take a beating. I'm not sure if she can cope with this anymore"

"Just from listening to that I'm worried about her. Christ, these two need to sort everything out"

"Understatement of the century"

* * *

Supressing the wince in each step, Felicity pushed through the door to Big Belly Burger to place all of their orders in. She was dying to get her hands on their coffee as it always seemed to liven her up no matter what and in this particular instance, she desperately needed it.

She'd decided that enough was enough of her basically turning herself into a hermit in her best friend's guest bedroom and get out, stretch her legs and make the next few steps in the recovery of her feet, which were still considerably sore from the events last week.

Not helping the fidgety movement to keep most of her weight off the balls of her feet, Felicity stood waiting near the side for her order when a voice came from behind her that made goosebumps erupt across her skin, eyes fastening shut and jaw clenching _in synch_ in response.

"Felicity…"

_Dammit_, she knew that she'd have to face him sooner or later but preferably it would've been later.

Upon feeling a hand on her shoulder go to turn her around to face him, she breathed an inward sigh of relief when the woman called out her order, giving her the opportunity to escape Oliver.

_Now if only she could make it to the d- and never mind. _

Her thoughts trailed off as Oliver positioned himself right between her and her escape route, effectively blocking her off.

"Felicity…please, just let me explain…_talk to me_, I'm begging you. You don't know how _truly _sorry I am for what happened but it wasn't intentional. I didn't _want _it to even happen" even from where she was standing, Felicity caught the sight of the tears brimming in her eyes, Oliver not bothering to wipe them from his eyes.

Being caught in between her inner battle between staying and listening to him or dashing past him and out the door back to Clarke and Emily's house, Felicity found she was leaning more to staying and letting him speak for mainly the reason being that she was also considering how much pressure her feet could take before they began throbbing again.

When she led them both over to a vacant booth near the window, he knew she'd made her decision but one thing was for sure and that she was remaining silent-

"…better make this quick, I want this to stay hot before I get back"

-right after she cleared that up.

"Look, Felicity that day, it really wasn't what you thought it looked like. Laurel came to the penthouse claiming she wanted to talk about a case but she came onto me. I would never, _in my life_, cheat on you. I couldn't bear the thought of hurting you and it seems that fear came true but _please_, believe me on this Felicity, why would I lie to you? You mean far too much to me and I immediately made that clear to Laurel before kicking her out and looking for you-" reaching across the table for her right hand which lay unmoving on the surface, Felicity flinched away from his touch, which made a few tears begin to trail down his face, making her force her thoughts away from the urge to comfort him and wipe those tears away. "-Felicity _please, I'm begging you_. Don't do this, I'm not that person anymore that cheats on the woman they love with their entire being, that's in the past and there is no way I could even think of doing it to you Felicity" the way his voice broke during the last word wasn't lost on her.

_If there was one thing that would be her weakness, apart from stopping her mouth from speaking her thoughts aloud and not shutting up altogether, it was that in some situations her humanity got the best of her. _

Her heart breaking for him at the strong man, who has fought through hundreds of battles and been forced to prove his strength and hold tight to his soul as it has been tried to be stolen from him, now breaking down before her.

Not being able to control the movement of her hand as it reduced the distance between the two of them and clutched his own, Oliver intertwining their fingers and holding on tight, sandwiching it between both of his own.

_Like now, for example. _

"Please Felicity…_please_, tell me you understand that I'd never do this to you" how vulnerable Oliver now looked, clutching her hand in both of his like his only lifeline, was like a knife to her chest, desperation pouring off of him in waves that crashed up against her with such a force she swore if she wasn't already sitting would've probably landed her on her arse.

Words failing her as she knew that if she so much as opened her mouth, the tears she's using the majority of her strength to hold back will just come bursting through the barriers and Felicity knew that once she started, she doubted she'd be able to stop.

Deep down Felicity knew that Oliver wasn't the old 'Ollie' he used to be, he didn't cheat anymore, that he was past those juvenile years but she was always still afraid of it happening to her, like it had her mother.

So she simply nodded in confirmation.

Biting back on the sad smile when Oliver lowered his head to nuzzle her hand with his nose, feeling the tears dripping on her hand, breathing in a sigh of relief, Felicity had to remind herself to remain motionless and silent several times when all she wanted to do was jump back into Oliver's arms and let him take her back to their home.

"Ollie" _*cue nails against a chalkboard _"-I was wondering where you'd be…oh hi Felicity" as if somebody were physically holding her body, fighting against the flinch and shiver wanting to make themselves known, Felicity began trying to retract her hand from Oliver's grasp, not being able to hold back on the sharp intake of breath when his grip just increased as he refused for her to leave their embrace.

"What are you doing here Laurel, you hate fast food" Oliver growled out, willing the tears to dry themselves out before throwing a pointed glare her way…the bitch of a woman he used to say he loved who now only registered as the one who drove a wedge between him and Felicity, a wedge he was still trying to mend the damage caused by.

"Actually I wanted to ask you something in private…so, Felicity, would you mind" turning her attention to Felicity, who still sat in her primary position with an almost expectant-look.

"No, Felicity's not going anywhere. We have nothing to discuss Laurel, so I would appreciate it if you would leave us be" you didn't need to be a genius to know when you weren't wanted but from the look on Oliver's face, Laurel seemed to be quite against the idea of not being fawn over, probably a habit she picked up from old times when both Oliver and Tommy were fighting over her.

"Oh come on Ollie, be serious, you can't really want _her _over _me_, can you? I mean look at her, she's nothing but an I.T nerd who'd rather stick her nose in other people's business than apparently get a life"

And just like that…silence, all the customers turning to look at the scene happening over by their table.

Upon feeling Oliver's grip tightening his hold on her, a knowing custom Felicity knew that Oliver did to control himself or right before his metaphorical string broke and his anger got a front row seat on his emotions.

During her life Felicity's always been on the receiving end of these types of comments, being judged and whatnot, especially in MIT, but to have the person who basically set off the chain reaction that sent her running barefoot into the rain and not only get serious injuries on both her feet but a cold from the few layers she had worn that day give her the side eye and attempt to move in on her boyfriend was where she drew the line.

Enough was enough.

Not giving Oliver the opportunity, Felicity abruptly stood up heck with her wounded feet, forcing Laurel to take several steps backwards.

"Wow you really are an arrogant, pompous little bitch aren't you? Not only do you have the nerve to basically try and kick me out of _my _life and _my _home but you try to tell me that _I'm _sticking my head in other people's business. Oh believe me you've already won that award hands down. You've been trying to get Oliver to fall back into the old ways when you used to have _Ollie-_" the use of his nickname and not his actual name didn't go unnoticed by Oliver as he gripped her hand that still remained entwined with his own at her side. "-wrapped around your little finger but you're failing to realise, _that's the past_. You had him strung up for the mistakes he'd made in the past that you've failed to realise that he's changed so much beyond you'd even imagine because you _don't want to see it_. So when he moved on, you were there _trailing behind _like always. Besides, _IT nerd_….please, I could wipe your existence off the face of this Earth and nobody would even flutter an eyelid at it because it would look like nothing but an accident. Yeah sure I'm a nerd but I'm proud of it, if it means that I'm an independent strong young woman that doesn't need anybody to rely on 24/7, I'm happy to be called a nerd because that's who I am and I've worked my fricking arse to get to where I am and I'm not ashamed of it either. But I swear to God, you _dare _pass me off as some _other woman _to what's important to me, you will see why you don't want to get on my bad side. I pity you Laurel, I really do, it's hard to imagine somebody that's so full of themselves, it renders them unable to see clearly" laughing out at the woman that still stood stoic in front of her, obviously in denial, Felicity turned and snatched up the bag that contained the, _thankfully_, still hot orders and begun towards the door, with Oliver's hand still unknowingly entwined with hers, of which her two friends were now stood in front of, clapping and wolf whistling.

"You go girl" Clarke cheered as she got piled up with the bag, Felicity rolling her eyes at her knowing smile.

"I didn't know you were such a BAMF when you get riled up" Emily laughed as the four of them made their ways out of the shop.

"Does this mean I'm forgiven?" Oliver asked hesitantly as he drew her up to a standstill in front of him, joining their other hands also.

"…yes, you're forgiven"

Before Felicity could even blink, Oliver's mouth was fused with her own, his left arm coming round to cushion her head as it slotted in to the crook of his elbow while the other released her fingers before wrapping around her waist and tugging her closer to him.

Slipping back into their natural kissing habits, Felicity returned the kiss with equal fever before pushing him back at the crying need of oxygen.

Shifting their position so instead of banding his arm round her shoulders it came up to cup the nape of her neck so it made it easier for him to rest his forehead against hers without posing the potential risk of neck injury for Felicity's sake.

"I've missed you so much" whispering under breaths so only Felicity would be able to hear, Oliver closed his eyes and savoured the feeling of her body against his, her skin beneath his own.

"Me too" cupping a cheek in her palm, Felicity smiled when he leaned further into her touch. "…and apparently you've gotten barely any sleep or had anything to eat or drink"

"You're more important" Oliver whispered his response into her skin, Felicity couldn't help the goosebumps from erupting across her flesh.

The distinct sound of high heels clicking determinedly against the concrete of the sidewalk was enough to get both the couple to look up to see none other than Laurel Lance striding towards them.

"For God's sake Laurel, just go away!" Oliver cried out in irritation, taking a further step towards Felicity and turning them so he was between the two women.

"You know you're like a bloody leech, you know that?" Clarke pronounced as she and Emily joined Oliver and Felicity, making Felicity start coughing to hide the laugh along with Oliver who just tried averting his gaze to something 'interesting' over Felicity's head.

"_Excuse me!"_

"And now you're Vickie Guerrero" now that made both Felicity and Emily hide their faces, smothering their laughter. "Do you know what you did to Felicity when she ran out into the rain _barefoot_? The sheer amount of blood that she was both caked around the bridge of her foot and streaming from the ball of her foot was terrifying"

"WHAT!" glancing down at Felicity then at her feet clad in the converses and how she was fidgeting again, Oliver tightened his hold on her waist and edged her up his body so that she wasn't dealing with as much pressure on her wounds.

Turning to glare at Laurel, he found his anger was steadily rising for the woman.

"_You_ caused this! What part of _stay out of my life_ don't you seem to understand?!"

"Ollie, I-I…I didn't mean to, honest I-"

"No you never _think_ about anybody but yourself do you? Felicity ran _barefoot _into the rain without even a jacket on so adding a cold to the equation and not to mention the bloody soles of her feet. All of this _because of you _and your stupid pathetic games because she thought I was cheating on her with you. Don't you see what you could've done?! What would you do if something even worse had happened to her, would you finally see sense then? But something that apparently can't get through your thick arse skull is how I can even so much as _care _for a woman that is so selfish she causes something like this to somebody else is impossible. Right now and for the immediate future, I think it's just best you if you stay the hell away from all of us" growling at the woman he fought an entire island for as her picture remained in his pocket throughout the experience, the woman he believed would be part of his future in a significant way…the woman he believed to have loved with entire existence.

"…I-I-I thought you loved me Ollie, I t-thought we would have a future together…start a family together, j-just you and me…O-Ollie, please"

"You know what makes me laugh though, the fact that despite what Felicity said to you in Big Belly, you _still _call him _Ollie_. You really are stuck in the past aren't you? So much so, you don't even realise it" Emily laughed at the realisation. "You seriously have a lot to learn. _Oliver _obviously doesn't love you anymore and to be perfectly honest, I doubt he truly ever did…am I right?"

"Oh no you're right about it all. I think the first person I was _truly _in love with, was Felicity. I even knew it from the first moment I stepped into your office all those years ago"

"Don't get sappy on me Queen" Felicity laughed.

"Only you Smoak, only you" he murmured, turning and stepping forward, kissing her forehead.

Turning her back to the blubbering Lance, Clarke patted Oliver's shoulder which also gained his attention.

"You better look after her Queen, or we're going to have problems" smiling at the protectiveness that her friends displayed, Oliver was grateful she had friends that were outside of the whole 'Arrow World', thanking them for what they've done for Felicity, before scooping the woman in question up into his arms and beginning back to the penthouse, raring to get her in a hot bath so he can aid the recovery of her wounded feet.

Striding with a determination towards his car, Oliver hardly gave a hoot for the woman he left behind them on the street, opening and closing her mouth like a fish.

The only thing he cared for right then was the woman currently in his arms, cradled against his chest and _by fricking God_, he was going to make sure it was kept that way.

* * *

The moment Felicity lowered her feet into the soothing hot water, she was in heaven.

Not noticing Oliver sliding in behind her, until he gently tugged her back into his chest with his legs comfortably open around her, accommodating her delightedly.

Running his hands gently over her wounds as she brought each leg up so Oliver could see the injuries on both individual feet, Oliver couldn't stop whispering apologises into her skin as he hugged her from behind, still hateful towards himself for not trying harder to stop what happened from happening.

"It's not your fault, Laurel just doesn't like hearing the word 'No' being said to her, is all" sighing out the words as the scalding hot water worked wonders to all her aching muscles, like a thousand mini massages all going at the same time, rendering her unable to keep her eyes open as she relished in the pure and utter relief, Oliver guiding her head back to rest back against his shoulder.

"…I couldn't handle it though…" Oliver began, gaining her attention, wrapping his arms around her and intertwining his fingers with hers atop her stomach. "…that look on your face before you ran out, it caused so many nightmares. That's one of the reasons why I couldn't find sleep, along with the fact being that the bed seemed haunted and so cold and empty without you there beside me, I felt like a ghost lying in a reminder of a distant memory. But also I couldn't deal with the fact that not only didn't I know _where _you were but I didn't know if you were hurt…if you were safe. God Felicity, I couldn't do anything, I _needed _to know. I've never felt so helpless before, I'd rather go through the entirety of the island instead of feeling like that…_I couldn't_-"

Shushing him when she felt the tremors begin racing through his body, Oliver couldn't put a halt to his actions even if he wanted to, leaning forward to sob into her shoulder.

"Oliver, listen to me" rotating herself from the waist upwards so she could face him, cupping his face between both of her palms, Felicity wiped her thumbs beneath his eyes to gather his tears smiling when he leaned into her hand while bringing his own up to overlap hers. "Despite what happened to me, _never _should you risk your health like that. Besides as I said earlier, _it wasn't your fault_. Laurel forced herself on you and I walked in on the wrong time but it….it wasn't that particularly that made me run" she breathed out.

_If they were going to conquer this, she would have to be honest and completely truthful with him. _

"…when I was younger, my father cheated on my mother and she walked in on him and his 'secret girlfriend'. Then later on, when I was in college…..one of my boyfriends that I trusted and believed that he felt the same thing as I did and wanted something more…I walked in on him cheating on _me _like my father had with my mum-" compelling herself to halt there to take a breather and compose herself to avoid bursting done in a fit of tears, Felicity diverted her gaze to a spot past Oliver's shoulder. "-so when I saw you and Laurel…it, I felt like that naïve and vulnerable young girl that was about to be shattered and broken down into a million pieces making an appearance once more, I promised myself that I would never let myself be hurt like that again so I-"

"Felicity, look at me" despite the warmth of the bathwater, Felicity still felt the coldness sweeping into her bones at the memories but still looked at Oliver. "I love you and _only you_…that is never going to change. The only woman that is ever going to be in my life 100% is _you_. You mean the world to me, more than you could ever imagine" leaning up to peck a quick kiss on his lips, it seemed that Oliver wasn't letting her go that easily as he placed one hand on the nape of her neck to deepen the kiss and passionately kissed as if he was trying to make up for lost time.

"Alright I need to get out of this bath before I turn into an old grandma" laughing against his lips, going to push herself to her feet to leave the bath, Felicity was soon stopped in her motion by her boyfriend, Oliver rising to his feet and bringing her along with him.

"You are not putting any pressure on those feet for the next week to give them time to heal"

"Oliver-"

"No. If the company desperately needs you then you can simply do your work from here, where I intend on remaining also"

"No, that is where I'm drawing the line. Fine, I understand _me _staying here for a week to help with my recovery but what is the point of you staying here as well? All you'd do is make yourself feel like some sort of caged animal because we both know how much you hate staying still for a set amount of time"

"Fine but at least let me call somebody so they can help you to stop you from walking round the place getting things"

"Well if I had telekinesis, that wouldn't pose a problem would it?"

"Felicity, I'm serious" bringing her face between both him palms, Oliver couldn't help the way his fingers unconsciously began massaging the skin behind her ears.

"If it would honestly make you feel better, okay, fine, why not?" she surrendered, glaring at the smug smile that plastered itself across his face, _so that's how he wanted to play it_? "…or you know, just to make it easier, why don't I just go and continue my stay at my friend's house?" forcefully biting back on the smile that was bursting its way to the top when his head shot up to meet her gaze.

"No! You're staying here where I know where you are and that I know you're safe" bypassing his comment when her eyes began twitching to an extent where she had to close them for longer periods of time, pleading with her to shut them but fighting the urge. "Hey, let's get you to bed"

"Well that sounded considerably dirty Mr. Queen" smirking at his darkened gaze and the hunger present in his expression.

"Don't call me Mr. Queen Felicity"

"And why is that?" trying her best to battle through the weariness dragging her down like an anchor, Felicity tilted her head to the side like she had done in her office all those years ago. "Is somebody having secret fantasies?"

"Believe me _Ms. Smoak_, you haven't the slightest idea what runs through my mind whenever you call me that, or what it makes me want to do to you. How much I want to drag you to the brink and watch as you soar over with nothing but _my name _on your lips" clenching her thighs together and making a feeble attempt to bypass the growing need coursing through her veins, Felicity focused on her breathing, levelling it out and not letting it spike for she knew he was winning the fight.

However, the feeling was cut off when she couldn't cut off a yawn from breaking the surface and rolling down her body, guiding her to gradually succumb to the compulsion of sleep.

Spreading out her hands over the softness that was their bedding, Felicity allowed herself to steadily lean into his warm chest, the warmth seemingly calling to her in her haze of sleep.

"…hmm, that's a nice dream you have…Mr. Queen but it seems it's going to have to put on hold for a while"

"It seems so doesn't it, well there's always another dream we can make reality for me to distract myself with" Oliver murmured into her ear while nibbling on her lobe before disappearing from her side altogether for a matter of a few mere seconds. "…one thing that I always dream about is to have you sleeping in nothing but_ my shirt_" as he spoke soft words into her skin once more, Oliver slipped something over her head.

She must've been more tired than she previously thought because the next thing she was aware of was Oliver tucking himself behind her as she lay snuggled on her side over on his side of their bed, buried deep in the covers, Oliver's arm banding round her stomach while the other slipped beneath her head, his body firmly fixed to her back, head resting against hers.

Upon feeling content with the world, Felicity finally allowed her eyes to flutter shut, peace surrounding her as she knew she was safe, warm but most of all….she felt loved.

"Night Ol'ver" feeling his chest rumbling with silent laughter, he kissed the side of her neck in response.

"Night Felicity…I love you"

Muttering the words back to him, Felicity drifted into the abyss, Oliver following closely behind her.

* * *

Warmth.

That was the first thing she was aware of, the first thing she registered.

Eyes fluttering open, untouched sunlight streamed in through the curtains, creating a golden glow within the room. Birds singing outside the window to the beautiful new morning, the new daybreak, were like music backing the dream around her.

Glancing down, Felicity couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face at the sight of him.

It was now clear that some point during the night Felicity had turned from her initial position as she was now lying on her back with Oliver covering half of her body. Resting his head on her shoulder, Oliver had one arm thrown over her stomach as the other disappeared beneath his bulk, softly snoring away perfectly content with her left arm looped around his neck, coming to rest on his shoulders.

Lifting her free hand, that lie tucked in below the comfort of her pillow, to trace the back of her index finger down the side of his face, the scratchy feeling caused by his stubble tickling her finger triggering a smile before she knew it.

Sighing in seeming contentment, Oliver shifted further into the side of her body, tucking his head beneath her chin and tightening the arm flung across her stomach, moving his leg over both of her own.

"…hmm Felicity…" exhaling her name, falling deeper into the embrace of sleep in the process, Felicity couldn't find it in her to move a muscle as she remembered John's words when he told her that Oliver had barely eaten or slept while he looked for her.

Shuffling into a more comfortable position, Felicity closed her eyes and let sleep claim her once more as Oliver snatched up the much needed sleep.


	58. I Never Meant To Hurt You (Oliver's POV)

**Alright, so by the request of 'Nad Sami' here's Oliver's POV of the last chapter.**

**As always, leave a review and tell me your thoughts. **

**Thanks and enjoy x**

Groaning in bliss as he melted into the cushions of their couch, Oliver rolled his shoulders, the sheer amount of knots he must have in his back was probably uncanny.

This morning when he had been happily in the cocoon of warmth that was his girlfriend and their bed, Oliver had received a call from investors from QC from another continent so, naturally, as his role of part-CEO that he mostly shared with Felicity, Oliver had taken the subject matter into a meeting from home over Skype and to say he was exhausted from thinking solely of QC stock was such an understatement. Honestly, _and something he'd never pictured himself saying EVER_, he'd rather be in QC right now working alongside Felicity as no matter what she always managed to brighten his day, mostly without even trying or thinking about it, just _being with her_ was enough.

_Wow…when did he turn into a sap? Eh, probably Felicity's fault. _

Upon hearing the door opening, a smile swamped Oliver's face before he could control it, _Felicity's fault again_, thinking what he and Felicity could get up to with the rest of the day.

Pushing reluctantly up to a sitting position as the iconic clicking sound moved down the hallway and towards the lounge, Oliver's smile faded fast as the sight of brown hair instead of blonde met his line of sight.

"Laurel? What are you doing here and how did you get in?" frowning at the woman, Oliver shifted on the cushions, suddenly quite uncomfortable.

"Oh you know the spare key under the doormat, the same Tommy always used to hide it. Never changes huh?" smiling over at him, Oliver's gut was telling him something good wasn't going to be coming his way and knowing him, he _always _trusted his gut.

"Alright, so how about you tell me _why _you're here then?" not helping the way his body went rigid, his spine straightening.

Body language that Felicity always knew was bad news.

"_Well_, I wanted to talk to you about something Ollie" cringing at the nickname she still was adamant on using around him, never _Oliver _like Felicity or Diggle, Oliver pointedly kept a good distance between the two of them as Laurel welcomed herself to come and sit by his side.

"Really and you couldn't have called?"

"Not with this I couldn't"

"Laurel, what is this about?"

All he was conscious of was that one moment they had the distance between them and the next, that disappeared in the blink of an eye and Laurel's lips were fused to his own, his hands finding their way to her hips to keep her from coming anywhere closer to him.

The shock of the sudden events left him unable to process the sound of the door of his and Felicity's penthouse opening and his girlfriend entering their home.

BANG!

A phone dropping to the floor was what broke the physical link between him and Laurel, his eyes instantly shooting over to meet the pained ones, those of his girlfriend.

Not giving a care for the woman as he shoved Laurel to the opposing side of the couch as his hand reached out, almost as if trying to reach for the woman that looked as though she'd seen a ghost.

"…Felicity, this isn't what it looks like…I-I can explain, I swear I wouldn't- Felicity, FELICITY!" words escaped from his lips as he watched helplessly as the woman he loved entirely spun on her heel and all but legged it through the front door and into the elevator as his feet urgently moved him down the hallway at a speed he didn't know he was capable of but still wasn't enough as Felicity was faster, _damn that bloody track team. _

Her name fell from his tongue repeatedly as he bolted down the hallways like a 100m sprint towards the elevator but, as the knife was lodged in his heart, the doors cut him off from his seemingly heartbroken girlfriend.

That look of utter devastation, it was…..he'd rather take an arrow to the chest than to see that kind of pain marking her usual bright and lively nature.

Fists pounding frantically against the metal separating him from what he now considered to be _his life_, Oliver desperately roared out her name, trying _anything _to get her to return to him but ultimately knew it was useless.

Tightening his already white knuckle grip so much that he wouldn't be surprised if he drew blood, Oliver returned to the penthouse, his fury building higher and higher at the woman that still probably sat as though nothing happened.

Using the fury to drive the adrenaline and fuel his body, Oliver bypassed the elevator completely and headed for the staircase, launching himself down set after set, dead-set on getting to the ground floor before Felicity did.

Bursting from the door like a man possessed, his head swung furiously trying to get a glimpse of his girlfriend.

When the results came up negative he felt like screaming out in anger, or punching something, as he tried one last attempt and racing over to the entrance/exit of the block, praying to anyone that was listening to not let Felicity be removed from his life.

* * *

"_What the hell_ Laurel? Is this what you wanted, to get Felicity out of my life?" Oliver didn't bother to hold back his temper as he stormed back into the lounge, refusing to go _anywhere _near the brunette that potentially just ruined his life and the best thing that had ever happened to him. "What did you want to get out of this Laurel, huh? Or do you just want to RUIN MY LIFE!" denying the guilt that washed over him when he saw how much she flinched at his tone, Oliver couldn't care less if he was scaring her.

"That's not it Ollie, it's just…you deserve better than her, than what she can do for you"

The rage was practically scorching hot right now as he stared at the woman he once found himself saying he cared for.

"…b-but O-Ollie, I-I didn't-"

"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOME!" bellowing at her, Oliver barely gave a hoot as Laurel clutched her bag to her chest as she ran sobbing past him and towards the door, slamming it shut behind her.

Snatching his phone off the coffee table, Oliver cradled Felicity's in his other hand, running his thumb over the crack in the screen before Diggle picked his phone up.

_"Oliver, man, this better be good, I'm kind of busy right now" _his brother-in-arms' voice cut across the line, Oliver not shifting his gaze from Felicity's part broken phone, the sight in itself hurting him. Felicity would never wish any harm upon any form of tech and _this_…this was like a sucker punch to the gut.

"Digg, Felicity's gone…I-I messed up, I completely and utterly royally fucked up" beginning to pace grooves in the floor, Oliver couldn't help the various different scenarios from playing on a loop in his head.

_"Wait, Oliver, hold up. What the hell are you on about, what do you mean you fucked up?" _the known I'm-her-overprotective-big-brother-and-you-hurt-Felicity-they'll-never-find-your-body was the first thing Oliver picked out from that sentence.

"Laurel unexpectedly came over and she just suddenly kissed me, Felicity came home and saw us and just…ran from the penthouse. She doesn't have a jacket, or her phone and I have no idea where the hell she's gone. I doubt she's gone to the foundry or…Verdant but Diggle…I _have _to find her but I don't know what the hell to do, what do I do Digg?"

_"Alright, man, Oliver I need you to take a deep breath and calm down. We'll find her and from what it sounds like, Laurel's the one at fault for coming onto you…unless you did something to encourage it"_

"Diggle, I swear I wouldn't do that to her, not to Felicity"

_"Okay, okay I'll help you, me and Lyla will help you but Oliver, you have to take into consideration that maybe she just needs a breather and take a break, she expected the worst, can you really blame her?"_

"Diggle…_please_, I-I can't…I just can't leave it like this. I _need _to find her, I need to make sure she's okay, that she's safe" collapsing onto the couch, Oliver ignored the shakiness of his limbs at the thought of something bad happening to Felicity because of this. "…Diggle, if something happens to her…I-I don't know what I'll do…all because of Laurel"

_"Oliver, stay where you are, I'll come and get you then we'll all start searching together, Lyla's got the technical side of it. Felicity will be fine, man, she'll know to trust her instincts and not do anything stupid or reckless. She'll go somewhere that she knows she's safe and where nobody will think of" _

Just like that, the night turned into one of the longest nights he'd ever had to endure.

* * *

It had been only a couple days but within that time, Oliver had barely slept, barely ate since all of this started.

Oliver had gone to Sara, Lance, Roy and even Thea to try and see if Felicity was with any of them but so far, nothing, zilch and it was weighing down on his shoulders so much so that if he didn't find her soon, he feared for his own life.

Digg had tried to tell him that she spoke with him and that she's fine, that she's recuperating but still…_it wasn't enough for him_.

He needed to see her, needed to touch her, to feel her in his arms.

* * *

Finally agreeing with Thea and Sara, Oliver pushed into Big Belly Burger to pick himself up something to eat as he was literally running on fumes and didn't know how much longer he could hold out.

Devouring his meal like it was his last Oliver's mind began reeling with various thoughts about what to do, where she would go, what she'd do.

Taking a breather from the pain that he was forcing himself through, he began peering round the fast food shop and couldn't help the sharp intake of breath when his eyes were met with wavy blonde hair instead of the iconic ponytail he was so used to seeing.

His feet were already moving him before his brain had time to catch up.

Steadily closing the distance between them, careful not to scare her off by the sight of him, Oliver restrained himself from reaching out and touching her like every ounce of him cried out to do.

"Felicity…" the weariness he could note, just from his voice but he didn't care, his only thoughts were on her.

Not being able to hold back any longer, he reached out and leisurely begun turning her to face him, cursing when the woman called out her order, giving her the opportunity to escape but _God help him _if he was going to let her slip away from him that easily again.

Positioning himself right in front of the door, blocking her escape off.

"Felicity…please, just let me explain…_talk to me_, I'm begging you. You don't know how _truly _sorry I am for what happened but it wasn't intentional. I didn't _want _it to even happen" tears stung at his eyes behind the lids, beginning to trail down his face at having her go through this initially.

Watching her facial expressions, Oliver observed hopefully as commenced walking to a vacant booth near the window.

"…better make this quick, I want this to stay hot before I get back"

"Look, Felicity that day, it really wasn't what you thought it looked like. Laurel came to the penthouse claiming she wanted to talk about a case but she came onto me. I would never, _in my life_, cheat on you. I couldn't bear the thought of hurting you and it seems that fear came true, but _please_, believe me on this Felicity, why would I lie to you? You mean far too much to me and I immediately made that clear to Laurel before kicking her out and looking for you…" not being able to stomach the amount of distance, in both the literal and metaphorical case, between the two of them, Oliver tried reaching across the table to where her right hand lay unmoving. The knife in his gut returning with a vengeance when she flinched away from him. "…Felicity _please_, _I'm begging you_. Don't do this, I'm not that person anymore that cheats on the woman they love with their entire being, that's in the past and there's no way I could even think of doing it to you Felicity" skirting around the break in his voice on the last word, he pushed through, looking over to her with a desperate gaze, mentally reaching out to her.

Watching the battle of emotions went to war across her face, Oliver pleaded to whoever was listening that Felicity would listen to him, believe him because God help him if she didn't.

He wouldn't know what to do if she hated him, if the one woman in the entire world that believed in him when nobody else did whose light began diminishing _because of him_ stopped believing in him, trusting him, his life would hold no meaning, no reason to continue fighting.

Readying himself for a potential onslaught he would force upon himself, Oliver exhaled the breath he just now found out he was holding when Felicity clutched his hand, his own moving to sandwich hers.

"Please Felicity…_please_, tell me you understand that I'd never do this to you" he didn't care if he both looked and sounded vulnerable, he focused everything he had on his girlfriend across the table, still clutching her hand like his last lifeline to the promise of happiness that now only hung on by a thread, pleading to be rescued.

It was like his heart started beating when Felicity nodded her head, an unbearable weight lifting from his shoulders and allowing him to finally breathe.

Sighing in relief under his breath, Oliver lowered his head to bring himself closer to her touch, her warmth, not being able to help the tears from escaping and dropping onto her skin.

…and just like that, the gunshot sounded.

"Ollie I was wondering where you'd be…oh hi Felicity" fighting to block off the emotion he only shared with the woman before him, Oliver tightened his grip of Felicity's hand, refusing for her to allow to separate herself from him now.

Raising his head to meet that of the woman who nearly ruined his life, Oliver didn't need to be told to know that his body had entered into the familiar rigid territory he normally did when he was around people he didn't trust.

"What are you doing here Laurel, you hate fast food" growling out at the sight of the brunette.

"Actually I wanted to ask you something in private…so, Felicity, would you mind" snarling internally at her words and that almost _expectant _look she diverted Felicity's way, to say he was pissed would be one hell of an understatement.

"No, Felicity's not going anywhere. We have nothing to discuss Laurel, so I would appreciate it if you would leave us be" he didn't care that the woman in front of him was the one that he had chased after for almost half his life, she crossed a line with Felicity and he wasn't tolerating it.

"Oh come on Ollie, be serious, you can't really want _her_ over _me_, can you? I mean look at her, she's nothing but an I.T nerd who'd rather stick her nose in other people's business than apparently get a life" the tone of voice she used that was practically laughter was like a branding iron to his skin.

Her taunting words bounced around in his mind, poking at the fire already more than raging inside him.

_That was it_.

Before he could even open his mouth to respond and defend Felicity, she stood abruptly, forcing a surprised Laurel back a good few steps away from the table.

"Wow you really are an arrogant, pompous little bitch aren't you?" and like that, instead of anger, Felicity covered the emotion with amusement at the look of Laurel's face and how much she was probably trying to find a way to cut in but Felicity wasn't done yet. "Not only do you have the nerve to basically try and kick me out of _my _life and _my _home but you try and tell me that _I'm _sticking my head in other people's business? Oh believe me, you've already won that award hands down" biting his bottom lip to stop the smirk from forming across his face, Oliver was in awe all over again just by his girl.

"You've been trying to get Oliver to fall back into the old ways when you used to have _Ollie-_" when she used his nickname and not his actual name just made his heart call out for her all over again, she was definitely the only woman that truly understood him. "-wrapped around you little finger but you're failing to realise, _that's the past_. You had him strung up for the mistakes he'd made in the past that you've failed to realise that he's changed so much beyond you'd even imagine because you _don't want to see it_. So when he moved on, you were there, _trailing behind _like always. Besides, _I.T nerd_…please, I could wipe your existence off the face of this Earth and nobody would even flutter an eyelid at it because it would look like nothing but an accident" smiling knowingly at the fact that Felicity could do worse to Laurel and how much she wouldn't even stand a chance against her, all because she underestimated his girl.

_Big mistake_.

"Yeah, sure, I'm a nerd but I'm proud of it, if it means that I'm an independent strong young woman that doesn't need anybody to rely on 24/7, I'm happy to be called a nerd because that's who I am and I'm not ashamed of it either. But I swear to God, you _dare _pass me off as some _other woman_ to what's important to me, you will see why you don't want to get on my bad side" breathing deeply while trailing her gaze down Laurel's body before focusing on her own gaze once more, chuffing in humourless laughter "I pity you Laurel, I really do, it's hard to imagine somebody that's so full of themselves, it renders them unable to see clearly" continuing to laugh at the woman before her that looked between the states of hurt and anger, Oliver never lost contact with her hand.

Moving with her when she turned and snatched up the bag that held her order and begun towards the door, Oliver was behind her the entire time, not breaking contact once.

Clapping and wolf whistling broke his concentration and glanced over at the doorway to see two women stood there, cheering.

"You go girl" the blonde applauded, getting Felicity's eye rolling in response.

"I didn't know you were such a BAMF when you get riled up" the brunette that stood next to her laughed while clapping her shoulder as the four of them exited the shop.

They must be friends of hers.

"Does this mean I'm forgiven?" he asked hesitantly, drawing her up to a standstill before him, not dropping either hand.

"…yes, you're forgiven"

Not letting her speak another word, Oliver moved before second guessing the action or if it was the right one for the occasion.

Banding his arm round her shoulders to tuck her head into the crook of his elbow, he kissed her with all the passion that had been missing from his life for the past good couple day, using his other hand to fuse her body to his, not stopping until the need for oxygen became known.

Shifting his position so instead of banding his arm round her shoulders, it came up to cup the nape of her neck as he rested his own forehead against hers.

"I've missed you so much" whispering so lowly so only Felicity would hear him, he savoured the feeling of her body against his own as his eyes shut to full embrace him.

"Me too" not hesitating when Felicity rested her hand over his cheek, he leaned further into her touch, soaking it all up. "…apparently you've gotten barely any sleep or had anything to eat or drink"

"You're more important" relishing in the goosebumps across her skin, Oliver never once opened his eyes.

High heels licking determinedly against the concrete of the sidewalk was like the Jaws theme tune, breaking him from his reverie to see nobody other than Laurel Lance striding towards them.

"For God's sake Laurel, just go away!" crying out in impatience, huddling more against Felicity in an attempt to rid himself of the Lance woman the majority of his previous life was revolved around and physically putting himself between the two women.

"You know you're like a bloody leech, you know that?" one of Felicity's friends stated, Felicity starting to fake cough to hide the laugh, Oliver just plain averting his gaze to something over Felicity's head.

"_Excuse me!"_

"And now you're Vicki Guerrero" both Felicity and the brunette friend hid their faces, smothering their laughter as they were both red faced. "Do you know what you did to Felicity when she ran out in the rain _barefoot_? The sheer amount of blood that was both caked around the bridge of her foot and streaming from the ball of her foot was terrifying"

"WHAT!" glancing down at Felicity than at her feet clad in the converses and how she was fidgeting again, it all made sense now in his mind, the movement to relieve pressure off her wounds as it probably wasn't doing them much good. Tightening his hold on her waist, he edged her up his body so that he took most of the pressure off her wounds.

Snapping his head round to glare at Laurel, he made no move to hide his steadily rising anger at the woman.

"_You _caused this! What part of _stay out of my life _don't you seem to understand?!"

"Ollie, I-I…I didn't mean to, honest I-"

"No, you never _think _about anybody but yourself, do you? Felicity ran _barefoot_ into the rain without so much as a jacket on, so adding a cold to the equation and not to mention the bloody soles of her feet. All of this _because of you _and your stupid, pathetic games because she thought I was cheating on her with you. Don't you see what you could've done?!" his voice rose to an incredulous tone, his grip not wavering once and if it wasn't for Felicity right then, Laurel would be getting much more than just a verbal bashing. "What would you do if something even worse had happened to her, would you finally see sense then? But something that apparently can't get through your thick arse skull is how I can even so much as _care _for a woman that is so selfish she causes something like this to somebody else is impossible. Right now and for the immediate future, it think it's just best if you stay the hell away from all of us" growling at her and the history she held in his life, Oliver wished he could serious just shake his head of her.

"…I-I-I thought you loved me Ollie, I t-thought we would have a future together…start a family together, j-just you and me…O-Ollie, please"

"You know what makes me laugh though? The fact that despite what Felicity said to you in Big Belly, you _still _call him _Ollie_. You really are stuck in the past aren't you? So much so, you don't even realise it" one of Felicity's friends laughed. "You seriously have a lot to learn. _Oliver _obviously doesn't love you anymore and to be perfectly honest, I doubt he truly ever did…am I right?"

"Oh no you're right about it all. I think the first person I was _truly _in love with, was Felicity. I even knew it from the first moment I stepped into your office all those years ago" turning his loving gaze down to his girlfriend, he bit off at the shiver when he was responded with a beaming smile.

"Don't get sappy on me Queen" Felicity laughed.

"Only you Smoak, only you" murmuring while he kissed her forehead, the same passion he had once shown before he set out to kill Ra's all those years ago.

Upon feeling a pat on his shoulder, he turned to face the other blonde friend who looked at him with crossed arms.

"You better look after her Queen, or we're going to have problems" smiling at the protectiveness that her friends displayed, Oliver was grateful she had friends that were outside of the whole 'Arrow World', thanking them for what they've done for her, turning back and scooping the woman in question up into his arms and beginning back towards the penthouse, raring to get her in a hot bath so he can aid to the recovery of her wounded feet.

Striding with a determination towards his car, Oliver hardly gave a hoot for the woman he left behind them on the street, opening and closing her mouth like a fish.

The only thing he cared for right then was that of the woman currently in his arms, cradled against his chest and _by fricking God_, he was going to make sure it was kept that way.

* * *

Pausing as Felicity steadily lowered herself into the hot water, moaning in approval.

Sliding in behind her, Oliver gently tugged her back into his chest, moving his legs into a comfortable position so that he accommodated her within his embrace.

As she brought each leg up so Oliver could see the injuries on both individual feet, he couldn't stop whispering apologies into her skin as he hugged her from behind still hateful towards himself for not trying harder to stop what happened from happening.

"It's not your fault, Laurel just doesn't like hearing the word 'No' being said to her, is all" watching her as the heat of the bath did its job, he guided her head back to rest against his shoulder.

"…I couldn't handle it though…" he began, gaining her attention, wrapping his arms around her and intertwining his fingers with her atop her stomach, shivering at the thought of the events in all. "…that look on your face before you ran out, it caused so many nightmares. That's one of the reasons why I couldn't find sleep, along with the fact being that the bed seemed haunted and so cold and empty without you there beside me, I felt like a ghost lying in a reminder of a distant memory. But also I couldn't deal with the fact that not only didn't I know _where _you were but I didn't know if you were hurt…if you were safe. God Felicity, I couldn't do anything, I _needed _to know. I've never felt so helpless before, I'd rather go through the entirety of the island instead of feeling like that…_I couldn't-_"

Shushing him, Felicity offered the comfort that Oliver had been craving since she ran out of their home, leaning forward to sob into her shoulder, he couldn't stop, no matter how much he mentally tried to stop himself, the tears flooded from his eyes like a river.

"Oliver, listen to me" rotating her body from the waist up so she could face him, Felicity cupped his face between both her palms and began wiping her thumbs beneath his eyes, gathering his tears. Leaning into her touch, he reached up to overlap her hands with his own. "Despite what happened to me, _never _should you risk your health like that. Besides as I said earlier, _it wasn't your fault_. Laurel forced herself on you and I walked in on the wrong time but it…it wasn't that particularly that made me run" she breathed out, directing her gaze to both their hands on his face.

Visibly calming herself, Felicity looked back deep into his eyes once more "…when I was younger, my father cheated on my mother and she walked in on him and his 'secret girlfriend'. Then later on, when I was in college…one of my boyfriends that I trusted and believed felt the same thing as I did and wanted something more…I walked in on him cheating _on me _like my father had with my mum-" pausing to gather her courage and keep a sense of calmness over her, she continued "-so when I saw you and Laurel…it, I felt like that naïve and vulnerable young girl that was about to be shattered and broken down into a million pieces making an appearance once more, I promised myself that I would never let myself be hurt like that again so I-" sensing the moment she was about to burst into tears, Oliver moved to comfort her.

"Felicity, look at me" tightening his legs around her more, Oliver made sure her attention remained on him. "I love you and _only you_…that is never going to change. The only woman this is ever going to be in my life 100% is _you_. You mean the world to me, more than you could ever imagine" refusing to accept a simple peck on the lips, Oliver moved his hand to the nape of her neck to immediately deepen the kiss and begun a passionate kiss, making up for lost time.

Biting back a groan when she pulled back, Felicity spoke "Alright, I need to get out of this bath before I turn into an old grandma" laughing against his lips, Oliver moved before she had a chance to rise to her feet, bringing her along with him.

"You are not putting any pressure on those feet for the next week to give them time to heal" heading straight toward their bed, Oliver carefully placed her down on the softness that was their bedding.

"Oliver-"

"No. If the company desperately needs you then you can simply do your work from here, where I intend on remaining also" disappearing to collect a few towels to dry them both off, Oliver appeared by her side once more.

"No, that's where I'm drawing the line. Fine, I understand _me _staying here for a week to help with my recovery but what's the point of you staying here as well? All you'd do is make yourself feel like some sort of caged animal because we both know how much you hate staying still for a set amount of time"

_Damn her and knowing him so goddamn well_.

"Fine but at least let me call somebody so they can help you to stop you from walking round the place getting things"

"Well if I had telekinesis, that wouldn't pose a problem would it?"

"Felicity, I'm serious" bringing her face between both his palms, Oliver couldn't help the way his fingers unconsciously began massaging the skin behind her ears, her eyes rolling back into her head when he found the right spot.

"If it would honestly make you feel better, okay, fine, why not?" smirking smugly at the surrender from her, Oliver thought he'd won as he continued to dry the both of them, _he was so wrong_. "…or you know, just to make it easier, why don't I just go and continue my stay at my friend's house?" snapping his head her direction, Oliver didn't care if she was joking but the thought of her leaving again seriously scared him.

"NO! You're staying here where I know where you are and that I know you're safe" witnessing Felicity's eyes twitching, all but forcing her to close her eyes to solve the problem, Oliver knew she was fighting sleep, something he'd been doing since she left. "Hey, let's get you to bed"

"Well that sounded considerably dirty Mr. Queen" the thoughts that filled his mind then made him want to satisfy the both of them but reined in those kind of thoughts for he knew not only were they both out of it with weariness but Felicity was hurt.

"Don't call me Mr. Queen, Felicity"

"And why is that?" watching her tilt her head to the side, memories of the moment he had first met her and that red pen firmly set in her mouth took over the majority of his thoughts. "Is somebody having secret fantasies?"

"Believe me _Ms. Smoak_, you haven't the slightest idea what runs through my mind whenever you call me that, or what it makes me want to do to you. How much I want to drag you to the brink and watch as you soar over with nothing but _my name _on your lips"

As he watched as Felicity battled the pull of sleep, her hands spreading across the surface of the duvet, finally relinquishing some of the hold when she leisurely began to lean into his chest, inching forward to make sure she didn't end up in an awkward position where it'd bring consequences later on.

"…hmm, that's a nice dream you have…Mr. Queen but it seems it's going to have to be put on hold for a while" ignoring the name that slipped from her lips.

"It seems so doesn't it, well there's always another dream we can make reality for me to distract myself with" murmuring into her ear while nibbling on her lobe before disappearing from her side altogether for a matter of mere seconds. "…one thing that I always dream about is to have you sleeping in nothing by _my shirt_" as he spoke soft words into her skin once more, Oliver carefully slipped his favourite shirt over her head, instantly falling in love with the sight.

When the weight of her head increased, he knew she was slowly losing the battle to sleep. Smiling down at her, taking the chance to gradually run his hands over her body, making up for lost time and kissed her forehead.

Lifting her carefully and tucked her beneath the covers before moving behind her and enveloping his body around hers, slipping one arm beneath her head and banding the other round her stomach and pulling her back into him before settling his head against hers.

"Night Ol'ver" his body shook with silent laughter at her voice and how much she sounded like she was drugged, kissing the side of her neck in response.

"Night Felicity…I love you"

"…love….you…." smiling, Oliver nuzzled against the back of her neck as he _finally_ drifted off into oblivion, completely content for the first time this week.

* * *

Sunlight welcomed him back with warmth but it wasn't that warmth that he mainly felt, it was that of the woman he currently lay half-covering, his head resting tucked beneath her chin on her shoulder.

Carefully shifting his head so that he could peek up at her, the look of peace and contentment met his gaze, a smile erupting across his face in response.

This…this in itself was the definition of happiness, of love…of _living_ and there wasn't a thing he'd want to change.

Returning to his initial position before Felicity woke, Oliver buried himself deeper into her side and the smile grew larger and larger at the fact shining brighter than ever before.

This was his life now.

Him and Felicity…_how could it be better?_


	59. Outsmarted

**Alright so I wrote this shorter-than-my-average-lengthed-fanfics fanfic out of sheer boredom and decided to upload it because frankly, why the hell not? **

**Anyways as usual, leave a review and tell me your thoughts. **

**Thanks and enjoy x**

"Well, well, well _Arrow _it's such a pleasure to meet the high and mighty, the group of vigilantes that protect their city from the _evil villains_" the man spoke, emphasising his words with a deeper voice.

The team had been after a man going by the name of 'The Human Blade' for days, it seemed that he really lived up to his name as he left a trail of human corpses wherever he went, something to distract people from his scent but Felicity refused to quit despite what hurtled her way.

His short black hair was curled over the side of his head, clad in a posh black suit, his emotionless eyes piercing holes in your skin as he looked over each member of the team, one by one from where they were held, chained to the ceiling like Malcolm Merlyn held Oliver.

Oliver was dressed as his vigilante self, Sara as the Black Canary, Roy as the Arsenal and Diggle disguised in a ski mask to hide their true identities.

"You'll never get away with this, I hope you know that, you're little business in the Glades will be destroyed _I promise you_" Oliver growled, his modulator still up and working, his gratitude to Felicity overwhelming to thinking about it beforehand, the same with the rest of them even Diggle.

"Why, _Arrow_….why be so negative? You can join us you know, be a part in something that will get you all the rewards your heart desires" clapping his hands together in glee at the bigger picture of his scheme, a dangerous part of the black market, selling off weapons to the highest bidder.

"I'll pass, I'd rather rot" biting off his answer, keeping it short and sharp, it appeared that _the boss _didn't seem to appreciate that answer so much.

Before another word could be uttered, the lights to the warehouse flickered on and off before shutting out completely, dowsing them all in pitch black, the only sound being men attempting to figure out as to what caused the sudden blackout.

"What the hell is wrong with you men? Get the bloody power back up, right now before I lose my patience!"

Silence encased the room, each of their heartbeats pounding right against their skins, even the villains relinquishing to the fear that sheathed in the shadows.

Abruptly a booming deep voice reverberated in the warehouse.

"The question is...are you feeling lucky…punks?" bright lights began flashing painting the silhouette of a red-masked figure, lighting the entire place like experiencing a seizure, backing the sound of a chainsaw roaring, the deep voice laughing manically.

The explosion of sound swamping the warehouse as the men shrieked, escaping from the room and building as fast as their legs could carry them.

"OUT, OUT, EVERYBODY OUT NOW!" the boss yelled frantically, large exaggerated motions desperate to separate himself from the silhouette like a cockroach scuttling away from the predator.

Chains clinking as the team tugged and pulled at their restraints, desperate to escape the mad man as well.

Hearts in their throat, the silhouette edged closer to the frame in which held the chains securely, bypassing the team flinching away from the stranger, recoiling away when they used to chainsaw to immediately cut through and release the group, dropping them all to the floor.

"Well that's intriguing" the deep voice continued, staring dead-set at the team who all lay startled on the floor before them.

Then just like nothing had happened, the lights switched back on, blinding the team straight away forcing their gazes away and behind their hands to block out the intense light.

"You know if I knew that was actually going to work, I would've done it earlier" the familiar voice gained the team's attention, heads snapping in the stranger's direction to see Felicity pushing the mask to the top of her head, smirking beyond belief.

To say they were all speechless would be an obvious understatement as each of their jaws dropped to the floor.

Reaching to her pocket where Felicity pulled out a small device, she spoke solidly into the device.

"Lance, did you get them?"

"Yep, like taking candy from a baby…should I be worried as to why they're all acting as though they've seen a ghost Ms. Smoak?"

"I think it may be best if you just don't ask to be quite honest with you, glad I could help"

"The SCPD is in your thanks then Ms. Smoak, now to get these bastards one the one way train to Iron Heights"

Glancing back at the still startled team, Felicity couldn't help the laugh that followed, placing the chainsaw over her shoulder.

"I think I'll drive back, don't forget your weapons" she threw over her shoulder while waltzing out of the building and towards the van she knew was parked round the corner.

After a few moments, standing on shaky limbs, the team trailed behind and remembering to retrieve their weapons before climbing into the back of the van, Roy calling shotgun.

* * *

"ARE YOU BLOODY JOKING FELICITY?" Oliver bellowed when he and the rest of the team descended down the foundry stairs to find Felicity slouched in her chair, red-faced with uncontrollable laughter, unable to stop anytime soon. Upon seeing the look on his face, Felicity tried clapping a hand across her mouth to rein in the laughter, _it didn't work. _"DON'T YOU LIKE LIVING?"

Clutching her stomach, unable to take a deep breath for she was laughing too much, bursts of laughter began erupting from Roy, who too couldn't control it.

"…it's just your faces-" cutting herself off when her laughter only increased when she remembered the sight of the _dangerous _boss terrified as he scampered away from her as though he'd seen a ghost. "…oh God, I can't breathe…oh, I wish I had a video of that. See, you don't need weapons to put the fear of God into somebody"

"It just goes to show not to underestimate our girl doesn't it, don't want to get on Felicity's bad side" Diggle laughed as he leant up against the weaponry table.

"Seriously, and what would you have done if something had gone wrong, huh?" crossing his arms, Oliver glared as Felicity avoided his gaze, holding her breath to mask her still present giggles. "Are you kidding me? Am I the only one taking this seriously?"

"Oh come on Oliver, are you telling me you don't find it the least bit funny? The way he scampered away from me like he'd seen a ghost?" smirking when she saw the hint of a smile, the side of his mouth lifting up slightly. "I rest my case"

Leaning his head into his hand as he covered his eyes, ducking his head down to hide the smile he couldn't help from spreading across his face.

"Can you just promise me that you won't risk something like that again?" he sighed when he realised he wasn't winning anything.

"Fine, fine…well I would do the whole _'Here's Johnny' _thing but I think John would be the best for that though"

Not bothering to hold back, the entire laugh ended up in peals of laughter, their stomachs screaming in protest at the action.

Glancing up at Oliver, who was leant up against her desk as the group continued laughing, Felicity enjoyed being able to release him from the heavy weight his life pinned onto him even if it was only for a short while.

In the end, seeing that smile…it was worth it.


	60. Smoak and Ashes

Moaning as her eyelids sluggishly fluttered open, everything lazily came into focus, welcoming her into the arms of destruction.

The first thing Felicity noticed when her vision came into focus were the ashes that hung in the air as the stomach-wrenching stench of smoke invaded her senses, poisoning her lungs and forcing her onto her side as she begun dry-heaving.

It reminded her of her own experience with the undertaking, when she had forced her body to move her out of the collapsing building. She had been frozen with terror, like she was face to face with a nightmare.

Breathing heavily as she drug her body from the close quarters that had basically miraculously saved her life, Felicity couldn't help the groan of pain as part of the rubble from the building shattered around her scraped unmercifully against her ankle, which she already knew was broken or twisted.

"…come on, come on…little…bit…further…ARGH…_please_…" she muttered to herself as she crawled out from between the rubble, tears mixing with the dirt already caked across the expanse of her skin as the unbearable pain roared through her leg as she was forced to use her ankle to boost her up what used to be walls and ceilings, crying out in agony.

Heaving her lower half up through the hole and towards her freedom, Felicity greedily gasped down the fresh air that wasn't clumped with destruction, the intensity of the light blinding her.

Taking the chance to note her surroundings, nothing screamed out to her at first sight. Muffling her weeps with her hand at the sight of pure devastation that lay around her as though a nightmare come true, she couldn't believe her eyes at the scene before her.

The city that she helped Oliver, Diggle, Sara, Roy and everyone else protect with their lives….shattered, broken, destroyed till she couldn't even recognise it anymore.

_Oh God…_

What about the rest of the team?

The nightmares polluting her mind in that moment made her stomach churn…_no_, she couldn't think like that…it wasn't true.

…she had to believe it wasn't true.

"Alright Felicity, focus…okay so I know I'm alone so far, no clue where the others are…so what do I do? What would they tell me to do? Focus on helping myself, make sure I can walk at least then get moving probably…oh God, if you're listening to me, please let me find them…anybody…_somebody_…"

Compelling the fight back into her being, Felicity focused on what she needed to do to help herself then she would worry about those of whom around her.

Taking the opportunity to glance down at the offending injury, it didn't seem to be as bad as it could've been. She noted various scrapes and bruises along the way, her clothing luckily being a shirt, trousers and jacket being slightly torn in several places but despite that perfectly fine.

When she was back in college, one of her friends had made her come on a first aid course with her…she never would've thought that course would end up being this helpful…_and most likely the amount of hours of TV she's watched when there had been first aid present also the care she provided for the team. _

Alright, broken ankle…splint it, she needed to splint it.

"…okay, Felicity, you can do this…you just need something straight to tie it to and something to tie it with…focus, you are strong, you can get through this" clenching her hand into a tight fist in an attempt to rein in her spiralling thoughts and feelings.

Glancing around her she spied a piece of scrap clothing, something she didn't want to think of too much of was where it was initially from. Snatching up a piece of busted wood, probably from a doorframe or something, Felicity got to work binding up the piece of fabric around the wood, making sure it was nice and tight even though it hurt.

Using one of the fallen buildings to hoist herself up to her feet, Felicity debated on her available options of directions.

Something she had learnt early on from working in Team Arrow was to, no matter what, always trust your gut and instincts because in the end they'll be the ones keeping you alive.

Chancing her luck in the direction of the least amount of devastation, Felicity began limping to her unknown destination.

_Where was she going_?

* * *

Slowing her footsteps down significantly, taking the opportunity offered to rest her body when Felicity wandered into a camp full of survivors and stalls being set up for first aid, she took the chance of a deep breath both figuratively and literally.

She had walked past several camps hoping, _praying_, to catch a glimpse of a familiar face but so far came up empty handed. The feeling was a literal knife to the gut at the fact that she didn't know the state of her friends. Shaking her head in refusal of going any further without resting beforehand, Felicity took up a seat near a woman cradling her arm to her chest.

Smiling gratefully when one of the women handing out spare water handed her a bottle, she hardly hesitated before gulping down half the bottle.

A faint voice in the distant frantically calling out her name broke through her train of thought, diverting her attention in the direction of the voice to see somebody she'd never thought she'd see racing towards her.

Launching to her feet, trying to avoid using her ankle so much, Felicity kneeled down just in time to support the little body hurling himself into her arms.

"Connor" she gasped out in disbelief as the dirty blonde-haired boy in question cried out her name, curling his smaller body around hers, locking his legs around her back and wrapping one arm round her neck.

"…Lissy…Lissy, I-I was s-so scared…I d-didn't know what to d-do…I l-lost daddy a-and T-Thea, I-I don't k-know where they a-are…" Connor sobbed into her neck where his head was currently burrowed and pointedly refused on removing for the near future.

"Hey, hey Connor it's okay, it's okay I've got you, don't worry, I've got you…it'll be okay, I promise" shushing him as she placed a comforting hand on the back of his head, her other wrapping round his waist, causing him to bury himself further into her side.

Doing her best to pull him back from her, Felicity began cataloguing his potential injuries.

From head to toe he was covered in dirt, it was caked all over his clothing, torn and shredded fabric hung off him in areas but still remained doing its job but it was his left arm that had her most worried, she could already tell it was broken but the extent still remained unknown.

"Come on Connor, we need to get you seen to for that arm" biting back her body's protests about moving, Felicity gathered the still gently sobbing boy into her arms and walked as well as she could towards the first aid stall, handing the remains of contents of her water bottle to Connor, who emptied the other half of the water at a steady rate.

"Excuse me" calling out to the woman but inwardly sighing in detest at seeing the state of the patient she was currently handling, Felicity always hated seeing people hurt to that extent.

"Excuse me, miss…_miss_" feeling a tap on her free shoulder that wasn't being taken up by Connor, Felicity turned to face a man with an obvious first aid jacket on, "If you would take a seat, I'll take care of your injuries"

"Oh no, please can you care for his arm first" setting Connor down on the table in front of the both of them, the man looked torn between helping both Connor and her, taking several glances down at her ankle and her makeshift splint.

"Robert, I got him, you take care of her" one of the volunteers called out to the man she now knew as Robert, carefully beginning to take care of Connor's arm, the boy's body angled to keep Felicity within his sights.

"Okay, thanks Rebecca. If you'll take a seat behind you, I'll put your leg up and give you a proper cast" the man, _Robert_, instructed her.

Swallowing her whines and cries at the pain from her makeshift splint being steadily taken apart and the cast being applied, Felicity unconsciously tightened her hands on the metal frame of the chair she currently sat on, her gaze focused solely on Connor instead of her own injury, the nausea dancing around in the back of her throat.

"There you go, that should give you a good support and you can walk with it too, just please try and keep most weight on your other leg" Robert directed, offering Felicity and Connor another bottle of water each.

"…I don't suppose if you've seen Oliver Queen anywhere around here have you?" she couldn't help but ask the question, it was worth a shot in the long run anyway.

"No, sorry miss, I haven't. I'm guessing he's a friend of yours?" squeezing her hand in reassurance, Robert seated himself down on the seat beside her, diagonally opposite from where her foot lay on an extra chair.

"Yeah he is, quite a good friend too. Also Connor's father, the boy I came here with" running her hands over her tangled and probably darkened locks by the effects of the earthquake, Felicity interlocked them at the back of her head, supporting her neck.

"Sorry…however, there is a larger survivor camp a little further up, probably a good 5, 10 minutes tops. Most people are probably heading there since there's more help is being distributed as it's one of the safest places. Your friend may have made it there, it's worth a look anyhow but I'll tell you what, if I see him I'll let him know you're looking…good luck"

"Thank you" returning the hand squeeze, Felicity pushing to her feet once more, grateful for the proper medical care, heading over to Connor, who was waiting patiently for her. "Alright, you set buddy?"

Connor nodded in response, jumping off the table and reaching up to entwine his hand with hers, holding onto her firmly.

"…ready….where are we going Lissy?"

"We're going to try and find your father and friends" Felicity stated down to Connor, who walked a little closer than needed to Felicity as they both set off in the direction Robert had pointed out to her.

She just prayed he was right.

* * *

Oliver couldn't help the pacing, the few hours he had spent gathering his family and friends into the main survivor camp he had been searching relentlessly for both Felicity and Connor, fearing the worst for the both of them.

Before the earthquake had even happened, Oliver feared the fact that he could hardly remember much before the natural disaster struck the city once more but this time not being at the hands of Malcolm Merlyn. Something he was aware of was that he had been separated from both Felicity and Connor even though he strictly remembered being in a position near them.

Once he had woken in the middle of destruction out in the streets to the hands of none other than his brother-in-arms and juvenile delinquent that he had taken beneath his wing, the three of them had managed to escape injury unlike many of the unlucky and innocent people of the city.

Quickly they worked as the team that they were to run around, searching for familiar faces and lucky they were positioned close to them to Oliver's relief but he couldn't help but think of scenarios that could've happened to Felicity and Connor.

One key fact was that Connor was only 10 years old and had been separated from his father and anybody that he knew so Oliver feared the most that he was petrified over what to do.

Then there was Felicity…oh God, everywhere he looked his eyes never quit searching for that iconic blonde ponytail and bright fuchsia lips.

"Oliver, seriously man, you have _got _to stop with the pacing it is solely driving me round the bend. We _all _know you're worried, heck we all are, but you have got to remain calm about this. We'll keep searching but for us to do that, you've got to keep your head clear of all doubts or you'll never let yourself be" Diggle snapped as Oliver continuously paced grooves in the ground.

"_I can't _Diggle, I just _can't_…they both could be out there wounded, in a life threatening situation and I wouldn't know…_God_, they could be _dead _for all I know, and there's nothing I can do about it, _nothing_" second by second, Oliver could hear his own voice getting more hysterical each time, almost winding him up in tears.

"Oliver seri-" Diggle begun again but was interrupted by Thea crying out a name that made Oliver's heart pound.

"FELICITY!" spinning round to face the direction his sister was facing in, Oliver nearly screamed out audibly at the sight of his blonde carrying the figure of a young boy, _his _son, tears trailing down his face.

Without even the thought of hesitation, Oliver took off sprinting across the field towards the duo, gathering them both into the circle of his arms and bringing them close to his chest, to his heart and holding them there, burying his face Felicity's shoulder, Connor's check pressed up against his own and Felicity's face in his chest.

"…oh…thank _God_" murmuring into Felicity's shoulder, he tightened his hold on both his son and the woman he loved most of all.

Upon hearing Thea's voice calling out both names, Oliver forcefully pulled himself back and ran his eyes over both their injured forms, zoning in on Connor's broken arm and Felicity's broken ankle.

Without discussion, Thea immediately swept up the younger boy into her arms, minding his broken arm which he cradled against his chest while Oliver banded his arms around Felicity and fused his mouth to hers, transferring all the mixed emotions of fear, anger, sadness etc. into the kiss, desperate to connect himself further with her, calming himself down knowing that she's alive, safe and with him.

He didn't find himself caring if their kiss soon turned into quite a watery one as the tears they cried, _and were still crying_, moistened their skins.

"Oh thank God, Felicity, thank God…I thought you were critically injured or dead…I didn't know…I couldn't find you" wrapping herself more around Oliver in an attempt to comfort him, Felicity remained aware of her still broken ankle.

"Shh…Oliver, I'm okay, we're all okay…we're alive, we're okay" unsure as to whether she's comforting him or herself, Felicity returned Oliver's hug with equal emotion.

"…you're hurt, I saw you limping heavily, what happened?" taking hold of either arm, Oliver glanced down at the offending injury at question and observed how she was keeping most her weight on her other foot.

"I'm not sure, I woke up like this so it must've happened when I was unconscious or something…I'm just grateful it was nothing else, it could've been a whole lot worse for me" Felicity couldn't help the way she breathed in relief of her own luck.

Biting back on the gasp as Oliver abruptly scooped her up into his arms like she weighed nothing at all, she couldn't help the way her head found its place in the crook of his neck as he carried her over to the rest of their friends and family, who were now fussing over Connor from hers and Oliver's position across the field from them as Oliver moved them both towards them.

"You're still hurt though Felicity, you shouldn't have been hurt at all, neither you nor Connor should've been injured"

"It was more Connor that I was worried about, he fell unconscious during the walk over here…" trailing off as the weariness of the past few hours of action had significantly depleted her initial storage of energy.

"Thank you for bringing my son back to me Felicity" pressing a kiss against her forehead, Oliver could tell that she was tired from the way her body practically slumped into his hold.

"…like you'd have…to ask…" Felicity trailed off as her exhaustion that she'd driven her body through finally caught up with her, the comfort of being in Oliver's arms the final reason for her allowing herself to drift off into the abyss, knowing she was safe. "…so….tired…."

"Sleep then" whispering against the skin of her forehead, Oliver brought her that much more closer as he settled Felicity's sleeping body down on the spare bed beside his, smiling in the way Connor immediately joined Felicity, who simply raised her arm to accommodate the boy.

"We'll focus more on our task but for now I think it's best that we all get some rest" Lance announced to the their group, squeezing Felicity's shoulder in his way of saying he's glad they've found them, as Oliver pushed his bed closer to Felicity's, pressing his body up against the back of his son and throwing his arm over Felicity's stomach.

Putting the chaos around them on hold for the time being, Felicity, Connor and Oliver all fell asleep within one another's embrace, Oliver finally ridding himself of the weight pinning him down at the knowledge that both his girl and son were safe and with him and took the opportunity by the horns and closed his eyes, knowing the others were there.

Around them, Diggle tugged Lyla and Andy into the circle of his arms as Lance rested back against the frame of the medical bed where Laurel and Sara rested with their arms wrapped around the other in a hug, the embrace giving them both an anchor to reality. Roy held Thea against his chest, unable to put a halt to his roaming gaze as he took in the destruction around them, the city had barely even recovered from the attack by Slade now this hitting them?

Didn't they deserve a break?

"Hey kid-" turning his head towards Diggle, who seemed pretty content to be used as a pillow by his wife and barely year old son "-we'll be alright, stop thinking of it so much. We've survived this twice before…we'll make it through the fight"

"I hope you're right Diggle, I hope your right" Roy murmured as the man in question also looked out to his city in pieces once more but this time by the hands of mother nature.


	61. In Secret

It was the same as every single day she entered the lair. Oliver and Digg sparring on the mats while Sara and Roy focused mainly on weaponry over in the far corner near the targets, meanwhile all she did was work on her computers as usual, nothing more nothing less.

_God it was so annoying. _

So the following day, Saturday, Felicity began visiting the gym and worked on her main core strength before varying about in different areas. Ultimately leading her to sign up for a membership there, mainly she stopped by every afternoon of every other day, giving her the weekend all to herself but that didn't last very long.

She found the art of exercising extremely calming so on most Saturdays she ran for a few miles and spent the entirety of Sunday resting her aching muscles, _majority of the time being spent while watching TV shows like Jeremy Kyle and Kitchen Nightmares. _

One thing she didn't do was tell her friends, they wouldn't notice anyways, none of them actually do unless injuries are sustained and since she practically never goes out in the field there was nothing to worry about in that area. Digg had Lyla and they'd been mainly focusing on one another (something Felicity loved about them both), Roy concentrating on his own training to help with the problem in the Glades while Sara and Oliver were attempting another go at their relationship (not that she didn't like them together, it was just the lovemaking she was pretty sure they did everywhere, the evidence was clear). Honestly apart from Digg and Roy, nobody actually gave a hell about her or what she did.

It was now a routine for her.

On Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons she would focus on cardio while Saturday's were her running day leaving Sunday for catch-up, mostly spending the entire day laying on her couch watching TV, a bowl of fruit on her stomach or on the coffee table.

Whenever she went into the foundry to help the guys with the whole vigilante business, the exercise always allowed her brain to mouth filter to actually begin working for the first time in her life.

This let her focus on her work and not on the exceedingly high testosterone levels or the _multiple _sweaty bodies around her.

If you'd asked her if she noticed the team around her noting that she hardly rambled that much, she would not say a word.

* * *

How they started, she would never know, it just sort of happened in a way.

One Friday afternoon she comes in to the gym and a familiar face that she's been seeing around the gym during the three months greets her with a small nod. She'd set herself off on a warm up on the treadmill when he came over and stood at the side for a couple minutes until she actually looked over to him.

He had a tall and broad build, his hands she were sure could easily crush a watermelon if need be, and short black hair. He had a strong jawline, deep set eyes so shadows sometimes formed over his eyes and he always seemed to have a stern look of concentration about him along with a fact she knew from experience that he held a secret not known to the eye of those around him, a sort of burden he was solely left to carry the weight of.

Honestly she hadn't actually ever seen him smile once and to her that screamed someone who didn't manage to loosen themselves from their tight rein so easily, reminding her of Oliver and Digg in that sense, someone built to be mysterious.

But you know her, she hates mysteries.

Jake, she knew his name to be, had just offered her his help with learning to fight and so obviously she'd accepted, knowing she could use the extra knowledge that would enable her to look after herself.

One lesson turned into two which turned to four, then went on and on which resulted in her spending most of her time with him in one of the vacant training rooms that was littered with different training prompts.

Jake taught her how to protect herself from oncoming pursuers and even in the little time she'd spent with him, she was improving significantly, so much so that he all but became her own personal trainer, chopping and changing and offering her help with more exercises designed to target your core muscles, toning her muscles more and more. One thing Jake had primarily congratulated her on was not only was she a quick and natural-born learner but for her all of it came as naturally as breathing to her.

A couple more months in and the fact that he was an ex-assassin had somehow come up in one of their conversations and he was shocked by her response. She shrugged in a common 'whatever' sign, not really caring on the fact that her personal trainer used to kill people like Lawton had once done or technically still does despite the whole being in the Suicide Squad thing.

So naturally Jake began using this to both their advantage, teaching her what she would do when faced with an enemy he would've typically faced in his past.

They got on almost like brother and sister, helping one another when the other needed help. For the first time Felicity had managed to subconsciously ramble without knowing and paused at the sound of Jake laughing, which made her think over her words and gasp, bringing her hand to her mouth before saying to hell with it mentally and letting loose the laughter.

It felt good to laugh again it had been so long since she had been able to relish herself in the feeling and sound.

She'd actually thought that maybe her friends may notice her toning body but of course none of them did and Felicity actually found herself not minding that, glad that she wouldn't have to come up with any excuses.

However, this all changed in the matter of one night when they had all taken part in a mission with a new enemy in the Glades.

* * *

Oliver hated putting her in the field for he knew she couldn't defend herself properly, God she wanted to prove him wrong but never did, but he still put her in the field with the only exception to having one of them present near her at all times.

One thing she had quickly found out was that this particular villain liked using his surroundings to his advantage and of course that included glass, broken or not, however she was forced to discover that the hard way when she had to defend herself from his attacks, Jake's 'ex-assassin lessons' coming into serious hand, when the rest of the team was separated from her in a massive fighting showdown.

The night ended with several shards of glass embedded in Felicity's leg that hadn't halted her defence mechanism built in by none other than Jake during the fight, actually she hadn't felt the shards pierce her skin through her jean clad leg, so when the team rushed into the room and began freaking out over the blood caking itself around the multiple wounds Felicity looked down to see what all the fuss was about. Oliver being Oliver obviously went all over-protective and had carried her straight back to the lair ignoring her commands for him to put her down.

* * *

"I can't believe you, you could've been seriously hurt today Felicity, doesn't any of that matter to you?" he growled out as he carefully removed yet another piece of glass from her leg, her concentration off somewhere else to avoid the sight of her own blood, somehow it didn't freak her out as much as it used to probably from the amount of time she's spent around blood that she's just simply outgrown the queasiness but maybe it was mostly because she didn't want to see the look on Oliver's face, who was he to judge her?

"I didn't really have a choice" she bit off, trying to keep any snarky comments on him, not even bothering about her before tonight.

_'Apparently I have to get hurt in order for you to actually give a shit about me' _the voice in her mind snarled at him.

Ignoring her comment to focus more on cleaning her up, Oliver growled under his breath. If either of them noticed that Digg, Sara and Roy had disappeared from the lair, they didn't say anything.

He couldn't believe Felicity right now, what the hell had she been thinking?

"Oliver, just stop, alright! I'm perfectly capable to take care of myself, so leave…me…alone" Felicity snarled at him, pushing him away from her and jumping off, thanking Jake's slightly harsh training to bulk her muscles up to handle whatever may come her way.

"Felicity!" Oliver tried calling out to her as she snatched her coat and bag from her chair and strode out of the lair without so much as a flinch regarding her injury, something not going unnoticed by Oliver's careful gaze.

Storming past the rest of the team sat on the bar and brushing their shocked looks over her shoulder, Felicity planned on returning home A.S.A.P but not before she made a little pit stop beforehand.

"Ollie, what just happened with Felicity?" Sara startled Oliver out of his thoughts, casting a look over to his girlfriend before refocusing on the med-bay where Felicity had just been…with glass _in her leg_ but managed to storm out of the door perfectly fine.

"I have no idea"

What the hell had happened?

* * *

As Oliver lay out on Sara's bed staring up at the ceiling with her body curled into his side after spending the night with her, he couldn't for the life of him seem to get his thoughts to leave the matter of what had actually happened earlier that night.

Sure he had noticed that over the past several weeks Felicity had been distancing herself from the team not just physically, only actually talking to them when she was forced to and mostly to do with the Arrow work. Something that honestly scared him was the fact that he couldn't actually remember when he had last heard her ramble or laugh, a sound he missed so much he hadn't even truly known the level of just how much until now.

Had something happened to Felicity that he wasn't aware of?

Well one thing was for sure, over the next few weeks he'd be sure to keep his eye on her more.

* * *

The arrival of the Demon's daughter, Nyssa, had sent them all off into their own spirals but none more so than Sara who hadn't managed the news in the best way.

Felicity though simply shrugged a 'whatever' and welcomed the heir to the demon as she once had done, gaining shocked expressions out of the team and another smile out of Nyssa.

_At least somebody had manners. _

"Felicity Smoak, MIT of '09, it's a pleasure to cross paths with you again" Nyssa smiled, surprisingly warm and genuine too.

"Likewise" feeling the side of her mouth lift up into a hint of a smile, Felicity turned back to her computers.

The rest of the team didn't really welcome Nyssa as Felicity had, mostly 'welcoming' her with crossed arms and stoic looks.

"It can be said that I am just dropping in. I would say it is a pleasure but I am only able to say that to Ms Smoak-"

"Nyssa, I appreciate the respect but really Felicity's fine. Ms Smoak makes me feel like my mother and believe me _that _is just terrifying thought by itself"

"-Felicity"

The next part of the hour ticked by at a snail's pace as Nyssa came to sit beside Felicity at her desk, throwing them both into a conversation as the rest of the team watched on in shock at just how relaxed the IT genius seemed.

"Alright, I'm heading out. See you tomorrow. Night Nyssa, hope you enjoy your stay" Felicity threw over her shoulder, nodding her head at the brunette in question, resting her hand on Roy's shoulder as she always did, a habit the two of them had developed over the past year of working together and hugged Diggle goodnight.

* * *

Curiosity fell over her as Nyssa watched the team in action but one thing that stood out was a certain blonde. Things had changed significantly between the members of the team of Arrow but whether or not they were for the best of not was unknown to Nyssa at the current moment.

Oliver, her beloved canary, Roy and Diggle all fell into step once again as the blonde left the foundry no eyes met one another's so as curiosity went, Nyssa fell into step with Felicity's shadow.

* * *

"So what do you feel like training for today then? The choice is yours" Jake announced, exiting from his shower with only his cargo pants hanging from his hips.

"So this is how you spend your evenings then" a familiar voice came from behind Felicity, kicking the pair into action, spinning them both round to see Nyssa leaning against the doorway, Jake automatically going for his gun and aiming it over Felicity's shoulder.

"Nyssa…did you follow me?" Felicity reaching behind her and pushing Jake's gun down without looking at him. "Oliver didn't put you up to this did he?" she frowned, anger already rising.

"No I can assure you Felicity, he did not. He is currently unaware of your…activities with the assassin standing behind your shoulder, and may I add that if he even thinks about harming you, I will gladly strike him down where he stands" Nyssa announced, walking towards Jake with a stoic set to her face.

"Thank you Nyssa, but I'm fine. Jake here is actually been the one who's teaching me how to defend myself" Felicity slid herself between the two assassins.

"Teaching you…how to defend yourself? Ah…that makes sense as to the changes in your body compared to when I last saw you. You in a whole becoming stronger, swifter" Nyssa spoke aloud, mostly to herself, as she shifted her head from side to side in thought. "Well, Felicity, my services are at your disposal"

"Wait, what?"

"You spoke that you wanted to learn to defend yourself, well I intend on teaching you also…I would ask you to keep this new arrangement from Oliver but…in this case, I believe you have that covered"

"So let me guess, us three are going to be attending the training sessions then" Jake spoke aloud, walking over to the table nearby and taking a seat, placing the gun behind him.

"I guess so" Nyssa announced. "So, Jake, I am Nyssa al Ghul-"

"-Heir to the Demon, yeah I already know" interrupting her without so much as glancing over at her, Felicity rolled her eyes at the pair of them as they seemed to be squabbling like young children.

* * *

Since training with both Nyssa and Jake, upping her training considerably, Felicity had become like a new person, breathing confidence to both those around her and to herself. Both Nyssa and Jake had agreed that she was a natural.

At least there were people that believed in her.

* * *

"Felicity, I need you to get the hell out of that office NOW!" Oliver roared across the comms, rustling in the background as fighting rustled in the background. "There are two armed guards making their way towards your position…GET OUT NOW!" to her trained ear Felicity could hear the fear masked as anger.

"How close?" circling round the desk, she began checking the drawers, searching for some kind of weapon.

"What the hell do you mean how close? Stop arguing and get out!" Felicity heard his growl across the comms, the distinct sound of a compound bow colliding with a body.

Head snapping to the doorway, the sound of oncoming footsteps caught hold of her attention.

"…too late…" she breathed, gripping hold of a baseball bat leant up against the underneath of the man's desk.

_But seriously, who has a _bat_ these days, it's more like a gun most people have as a backup weapon within their reach. _

"FELICITY" Oliver shouted down the comms before she clicked her earpiece off.

_Oh she was going to hear about that one later on_.

It seemed mere seconds before the two guards came hurtling into the room.

"You're not supposed to be in here" the one in front stated the obvious, Felicity sighed.

"Well done Sherlock, you deserve a medal" the sarcasm slid out and apparently he didn't like sarcasm as the next moment he rushed at her, gun vs. bat…._well this is going to be interesting._

* * *

Twirling the piece of wood above her head and bringing it down with a SMASH against the man's skull, Felicity kicking into hand to hand combat with the remaining guard as she heard shouts from down the hallway.

_Oh great. _

She knew the mistake cost her before she had even moved to deliver the move.

Clutching her hand in his, the man twisted her around so her back came flush with his front, his arm wrapped around her throat and out of instinct she clutched at the restraint as Oliver and the rest of the group came bursting into the room, weapons drawn.

"Let….her….go!" Oliver threatened lowly, arrow drawn at the man's head.

Closing her eyes, Felicity breathed in deeply and remembered the training Jake taught her when before he had taught her how to escape from the position.

Her eyes flew open as she twisted her head into the gap between the man's arm and chest, clutching his wrist in her left hand and the other beneath his elbow. Flowing into one swift and fluid movement Felicity ducked from beneath his grasp and pushed his arm out and behind his back, twisting it far into his socket, kicking his knee out from beneath him sending his crashing to the floor and forced the heel of her foot between his shoulder blades.

Crying out from pain and irritation, the man squirmed in her grasp, trying to search for any kind of release. Twisting himself, Felicity brought her fist across the side of his face, knocking him out cold instantly.

"Douche bag" muttering before focusing on equalising her breathing while turning to face a shocked team, Felicity rolled her eyes in response, snatched the flash drive and moved through the doorway and down the hallway, a stunned team trailing behind her also murmuring 'gun vs. a baseball bat…now that I didn't see coming, what's next though, a frying pan?' as she went.

* * *

"What the hell was that?" Oliver demanded, descending the stairs into the Foundry after Felicity, who was metaphorically biting her tongue after murmuring '…and here we go again' under her breath.

"You mean me defending myself?" stalking over to her desk, the need to do something to stop herself from using the anger radiating through her very being, Felicity began decrypting the flash drive, listening as footsteps came up behind her.

"What I mean is just last week you hardly even knew a form of defence and now you manage to take down _armed _guards that are not only stronger than you but have been trained to kill" he growled out, accusation lacing his tone.

"So what's that supposed to mean Oliver? That I shouldn't be able to know how to defend myself? Besides it shows just how much you pay attention because I began managing to defend myself about a good couple months ago now but I guess it just goes to show just how good I am at keeping secrets doesn't it?"

During her speech, Felicity had spun herself around to face off against Oliver who seemed quite arrogant on the idea of backing down, _like hell she was going to be the one to back down_.

"Wait hiding what secret?"

"Oh _now_ you care"

"Oliver, Felicity had grown tired of being unable to defend herself against oncoming attacks so took the matter into her own hands, which may I add, she is a natural at" Nyssa spoke from behind Oliver's shoulder as she descended the stairs and came to stand beside Felicity, laying one hand on the blonde's shoulder.

"So like I said, Felicity, what secret?" growling down at her, Oliver clenched his hands into tight fists.

"Well she has got her own personal trainer and a special sort of guy too" Nyssa spoke for Felicity, sheathing her sword and checking for marks like it was everyday occurrence.

"Who" continuing with his growly tone, Oliver refused to budge. He actually reminded her of Hades from that Disney cartoon when his head burnt bright red with flames, smoke coming out from his nose and ears.

"…getting straight to the point, he's an ex-assassin" crossing her arms, Felicity stood her ground against the possible argument.

"WHAT!"

"Oliver, don't even bother, Jake, helped me in ways that nobody ever has by making me feel like I actually have a chance at defending myself at potential attacks. I've become fitter and stronger and in doing so it's also helped me with anger I didn't even know I had Oliver so _how_, tell me _how _that's possibly a bad thing?" for the first time in _God knows how long _Felicity allowed her mouth to run away with itself and not bothering to care about the outcomes.

"You helped her didn't you?" Sara asked, standing before Nyssa with a look in her eyes that Nyssa knew once of a few years ago.

Turning to face her beloved fully, Nyssa squared her feet and crossed her arms to hold herself back from reaching over to her blonde and pulling herself closer to her own body.

"Yes I did, I aided Felicity with her weaponry training however Jake has taught her well if I may add" glancing over at the woman in question, Nyssa offered her a warm and comforting smile before sparing Sara the gaze that once belonged solely to her not too long ago.

"Well if this Jake guy has taught you so well then Felicity, I challenge you to a sparring match" crossing his arms in a defensive stance, Oliver solely had eyes for Felicity, completely bypassing his _girlfriend _and her own ex.

"Why, what do I have to prove to you?" snapping at him for his train of thought, the once soothing gaze received by Oliver was diminished and left with nothing but a cold glare, the warmth subtracted straight from the core, a look nobody was used to receiving especially from Felicity.

"What…are you scared?"

"Oh nice, very nice, try and use control on me why don't you, go on then…see how far you get. Like I said Oliver, I have _nothing _to prove to you because I owe you _nothing _but a hard slap across the face and a kick to the nuts so you're damn lucky I've learnt a thing called restraint" spinning on her heel to head back up the stairs, the change in the air snapped at a side of her drilled in by none other than Jake and the heir to the demon.

Oliver couldn't help the growl that radiated from his throat as he rushed at Felicity's unsuspecting back, planning on introducing her to the cold hard floor of the foundry, only to be met by restraint as the ground from beneath him was swept up and everything rushed by him as he found his body flipping through the air as the known weight of Felicity's body pushed at his back, landing him face down on the floor with her pressing him down.

Now _that _he hadn't been expecting.

"Proved my point…and I rest my case" she whispered into his ear from behind before pushing up and off of him, moving past his attempt at snatching at her and up the stairs away from a gobsmacked group, besides Nyssa of course for she knew almost the level of expertise the blonde held at her fingertips, smirking at an unusually still Queen still planted on the floor.

"…Nyssa, could I speak with you…alone?" Sara asked, not taking her eyes of the brunette.

* * *

As she practically skipped down the garden path and towards the path, Felicity started off at a gentle jog in the direction of the gym, not speaking of the figure looming over her shoulder in the darkness thinking he stood out of her peripheral vision.

She may be blonde, but she's not _that _blonde.

* * *

Following Felicity steps as she jogged down the path, earphones blasting through music during so, Oliver couldn't help but wonder why she never thought to tell him why in the world she felt the need to prove herself to the level of working _secretly _with an _ex-assassin _and the heir to the demon. He wasn't entirely sure as to what part hurt him the most, the fact that she didn't tell him on the new events happening in her life or the fact that she was training with someone that was basically a complete stranger to train her in ways that _he _could've done.

Focusing more as Felicity pulled to a steady walk towards a local gym, Oliver remained on her trail but made sure to keep his distance.

* * *

"Remember, the aim of this is to remain swift but comfortable with the staffs, so much so that you're able to use them without truly thinking about it before, thinking about them as an extension of your body" came a deep male voice from the training mats set out in the middle of the room.

"Got it" Felicity's voice echoed through the room as Oliver descended the stairs.

"Trust me?" the man's, Jake's if he remembered correctly, question made him freeze as the whole scene played out in front of him.

Felicity stood in her gym attire staff in hand, middle of the training mats, with a blindfold masking her sight, the ex-assassin circling her with a Bo staff.

"…do I honestly have a choice?" her humour never seemed to fail her, no matter where in the world she may stand, it was always there to help pick her up from the dirt and display life in a way before he very eyes that nobody else could gaze upon.

"Honestly…not really, remember…just, listen. Ready…" as silence succumbed the room, Oliver found himself slipping further into the darkness, masking himself in shadows, watching as his girl began tilting her head from side to side, a habit he had picked up from the island. "Consider this as just turning out the lights and leaning more on your remaining four senses to guide you"

"Are you expecting me to _taste _something, Jake what exactly are you trying to say?"

"Oh aren't you hilarious, get your mind out the gutter and focus"

"Mate, my mind's always in the gutter and I don't think it is changing positions any time soon"

Pausing slightly, the ex-assassin lashed out towards Felicity, who easily deflected his move with pure ease, stepping to the side to aid to her momentum, it was almost as if she had full use of her sight.

Turning her body to where he had just attacked, Oliver noted the subtle movement of her tilting her head slightly once again. Switching to rise to the tips of his toes the guy circling her came around so he had full access to her back, Oliver didn't need to be told what move he was going to go for because it was obvious in the way he positioned his stance, moving the staff towards the target of her legs, Felicity brought her own staff over her shoulder to deflect the move and twirled herself on one foot and use the other to press the man's staff to the mat resulting in the man's grasp on the staff to loosen ever so slightly enabling Felicity the access to a blow to the stomach.

Oliver watched silently as _his girl _with pure ease deflected move after move before eventually drawing to a close when Felicity catapulted the staff out of the assassin's hands and forced him to the ground, staff drawn across his neck as she straddled his back.

"You know now that I think about it, not actually that hard" Felicity's smug voice echoed around the room, a smile plastering across his face before Oliver could second-think the action, it had been a while since he truly smiled.

Rising to her feet whilst removing her blindfold, offering Jake a hand to help him up, Felicity called out without so much as glancing in his direction.

"Oliver, we both know you're there, you might as well come out" heading towards the table at the side of the mats, Felicity began downing half a bottle of water, chucking one into the hands of Jake.

Unused to her new ways, her new strength, Oliver moved hesitantly out of the shadows where both men instantly began sizing the other up as two sets of footsteps were heard, Nyssa descending the stairs with Sara following close behind her.

Hopping up onto the table besides where Jake leant, Felicity remained silent as she watched the confrontation ahead of her.

"You know you could've told me" Oliver bit out, turning to throw a glare at the Heir to the Demon.

"You know what makes me laugh, the fact that you think you have _a right _to know what's going on in my life" Felicity chuckled humourlessly, gaining the attention of the man in question.

"Felicity, you're my responsibility, you have been ever since three years ago"

"Oh great, lovers conflict, brilliant…just what I needed to end my day" Jake muttered, receiving a glare and a Bo staff lobbed at the back of his head. "Very mature Liz"

"No, I'm not. See the thing you don't seem to get Oliver is that I can protect myself and it's _my life_, not yours so I can do what I damn want with it" Felicity continued to Oliver while rolling her eyes at Jake.

"…oh she's got you there, mate" Jake chuckled, sipping from the water bottle.

"Let's just make one thing straight here, I'm not your _mate_. You could've gotten her killed, or killed her yourself since you used to be an assassin, what makes you think that I trust you at all?" taking a couple steps in the assassin' direction, Oliver growled out.

"Oliver! You have no right to speak to him like that since you don't have the right to say who belongs in my life, so I'd watch your tongue if I were you. As I said before both Jake and Nyssa helped me in ways nobody has ever done"

"Yeah, something _I _could've done if you had _asked _me" trying his hardest to bypass the stabbing pain at her words of him not having the right to control what happened in her life, he turned his attention to the blonde that now stood stoic beside the ex-assassin he _so _had the corner of his eye locked on.

"Like that would've happened, you would've told me no before I even finished my sentence…it wasn't even on the table to begin with since it wasn't going to happen, period"

"Great to know Felicity, thanks for letting me know you have so much faith in me"

"You can't make me feel guilty for this either so don't bother. Why can't you just be happy for me? Happy that I've learnt how to defend myself so I won't need to depend on you lot so much, forced to be a sitting duck in case of attacks and _I don't know_, won't be _injured _in the process?"

Just like that, the awkward silence returned.

"…well, _anyway_, lesson over Liz so I'll see you next time…_maybe_" throwing a glance over at Oliver, who remained speechless in response to Felicity's question, Jake squeezed her shoulder before throwing a towel round his shoulders and taking off up the stairs and past Nyssa, who patted the back of his shoulder.

"And I'm following in his steps and going home now" moving to snatch up her drawstring bag she always used for her gym work since it never got in her way during her jog over to the gym building, popping her earphones back in her ears and following behind Jake after throwing goodnights over her shoulder at Nyssa and Sara, who just took up sparring on the mats.

* * *

Upon returning to her townhouse safe and sound, _and receiving no appearances from a certain Queen either_, the first thing Felicity did was strip down to her underwear and chuck her clothes in the wash after a heavy workout this morning before jumping in the shower.

Curling her wet hair up into a bun to keep it off her shoulders, Felicity moved into the kitchen and began preparing her normal bowl of fruit and/or vegetables she typically had after an afternoon with Jake.

That's when a knock reverberated round her townhouse.

Cupping the bowl in one hand, she used the other to swing the door open to reveal none other than Oliver Queen, with that look on his face that apparently hadn't changed since he'd figured out what in fact her secret was.

"Oliver, doesn't this ever get boring for you? I'm not really in the mood to continue any arguments and no matter what you say I don't regret what I did for one moment. Besides it's not your choice either way since it's my life, so there's always that"

"Don't you trust me though? You didn't have to go to an _ex-assassin _for training lessons that I easily could've just taught you when we're at the foundry" Oliver continued his previous argument while following behind Felicity after locking the door behind him.

"…and we're back to this again, great" huffing while collapsing onto her couch, Felicity threw her head back against the cushions that decorated the back of the couch. "Oliver, face it, you've been giving me the cold shoulder ever since you and Sara got together, and before you say _anything _in response to that the answer is _no, _I don't have a problem with you two. So don't get on my case about not trusting you because fact of the matter being, I trust you with _my life _and nothing can change that. So if you please, can you let me watch this programme that I've been waiting weeks for and let my body collapse against this couch? Or would you like to argue and irritate me some more?" telling the straight truth was always a habit of Felicity's because one, her brain to mouth filter has never in her life actually worked so she'll just tell people her opinion anyways and two, what's the point of not being completely honest with them? They'll find out sometime.

"…well actually me and Sara haven't been on the same page for a couple weeks now so she's going back with Nyssa"

"Oh…you okay?"

"Surprisingly, yeah, I'm fine with it. She's happy with Nyssa and they're…good together"

Offering Oliver the cut up fruit and vegetables in the bowl, Oliver couldn't help the smile at the comfort Felicity was also offering as he took up the position at her side watching Jeremy Kyle.

"How come you love this show so much?"

"It's going to seem strange but the conflict, sometimes it's funny with the fights and security getting involved. Those are always my favourite episodes and Jeremy yelling at the people also" answering Oliver's question easily and without hesitation, Felicity merely shrugged when he began laughing at her answer.

"I never would've thought"

"See there are always things you don't know about a person no matter how long you've known them"

"No, I don't think there's ever going to be a time where I actually know every part of you, there's always going to be something you surprise me with every time"

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, nobody actually fully knows every part of me…not even my mum and I tend to surprise myself quite often"

"You're remarkable Felicity" chuckling at his girl beside him, Oliver rested his arm across the back of the couch. If Felicity noticed how close his arm was to being thrown around her shoulders, she never spoke a word.

"Well thank you for remarking on it…and I'm still not regretting a thing"

"Fine with me" turning her gaze at his face, she knew instantly his train of thought.

"-and you can't try and beat Jake up to show yourself off to be stronger" finishing off whilst throwing a grape into her mouth, around a smile as Oliver gave her a pointed look that basically yelled 'stop knowing me so well'.

"Not my fault I'm protective of my partner"

"You know I do think Jake may even be able to beat you on the Salmon Ladder" battling against herself to hide the smirk, willing to hold onto the poker face she hoped was better than she thought it to be, especially when his face shot towards her.

"Take it back….take it back Felicity"

"I regret nothing" placing the bowl on her coffee table, Felicity crossed her arms pointedly and resumed watching the show on her TV.

Felicity heard the low growl beside her loud and clear, before the attack ensued.

Before she knew it or could do anything to avoid it, a tickling sensation claimed her entire body as Oliver loomed over her, it becoming known to her then that she had arched herself away from his touch in an attempt to avoid the insistent tickling and had put herself in a vulnerable position.

"Take. It. Back"

"NEVER!" she wasn't actually sure what was louder her laughter or the words.

"So be it, but don't say I didn't warn you" however hard he may try to avoid it himself, his face suddenly broke out into an ear-splitting smile.

For what seemed like an hour, Oliver finally relented in his persistent attack until all of Felicity's skin had gone from her usual peachy colour to a bold tomato-red.

"I…..can't…..breathe"

"You got yourself into that one _Lizzie_"

"Aw…_are you jealous_" tilting her head to the side like she had done all those years ago, Felicity spoke in a teasing manor, to which Oliver instantly glared at her.

"I am not jealous of him"

"_Liar_" chastising his lie with a sing-songy voice, Felicity knew exactly what she was getting herself into but it'd been so long since she'd seen Oliver actually genuinely smile and now…she would gladly take his consequences if it meant she could see him not only smile but laugh.

Just when Felicity thought Oliver was going to attack with another round of tickles once more, she locked gazes with his own and surprised herself when he gave her this look that made a shiver run down her spine at the sight of it.

Silence, _except that of the TV_, swallowed the townhouse whole as the two just looked at one another like they held all the secrets of the Universe.

Slowly leaning in, bit by bit reducing the distance between the two of them, Oliver moved closer to Felicity, going in to kiss her.

Ever since she was younger, she was convinced her brain was out to get her as the type of images it came up with was unbelievable. However, sometimes there are special times when those images and ideas are just too funny to ignore…like now for example.

Before he had any time to defend himself, Felicity rolled them both off the couch and onto the floor, being wary to avoid the coffee table, into a headlock with Felicity wrapped around Oliver from behind.

"…alright, alright you've proved your point show-off" gasping out in both the need to breathe and surprise that his girl could catch his guard, Felicity pulled back but not far enough as Oliver swung her around so he once more loomed over her.

"You're going to have to do much better than that, _Lizzie_"

Smirking up at him at he's played right into her trap and hasn't even realised, Felicity wrapped both legs around his abdomen and brought his head down to her, wrapping her right arm around his head so that it rested overhead the base of his throat and held her own body rigid and pushed up against Oliver's tightly.

Feeling his struggles, Felicity felt him tap out once more, smirking at his surrender.

"…_fine_, I admit he's done a good job. If you're so confident about your skills, you and me sparring match tomorrow night after QC"

"You know Oliver, it's not so much as how many hits you can take or how hard you can hit, it's about if you're strong enough to get up after" patting the back of his shoulder, Felicity moved back to her couch once more.

"Well we'll see about that tomorrow" muttering, Oliver hesitated before returning to the couch also but not in his initial position beside Felicity instead lying down with his head in her lap, Felicity not missing a beat in tracking her hand through his scalp. "…it's been different without you"

"Oliver, I've been there this entire time"

"But not truly…you've been so distant, it hurt to not hear you babbling or being _you_"

"…truthfully, I didn't actually think anyone noticed"

"We all did" murmuring his response as the pleasure completely took him over, eyelids fluttering closed at Felicity's ministrations.

Before she knew it, Oliver fell asleep with his head in her lap as she kept up the motion of her hand over his scalp, the comfort of feeling him there being something she didn't want to relent on.

It wasn't much of a movement on either of their parts, Felicity being unrelenting to give up the routine of visiting Jake for training instead of any team members, Oliver being unwilling to accept her new ways so easily, but at least it was a step in the right direction.

However, despite this one thing was for definite, if Oliver actually thought that just by breaking up with Sara and apologising to her for his actions she's going to fall into his arms, he's got another thing coming.

Tomorrow, she was _so _kicking his arse.


	62. Egyptian Flu

**Wow it has been a long time since I last uploaded something so apologises for that one, I've got a cluster of ideas just dying to get typed down on screen. **

**Anyways as always hope you enjoy this and leave a review to tell me your thoughts. **

**Thanks and enjoy x**

Pacing back and forth non-stop in her bedroom, Felicity continuously ran her hands through her hair as she thought about the events of the past week, mainly to do with what had happened on Friday night.

She wasn't freaking out though…nope, not freaking out, totally 100% _not _freaking out.

* * *

_They had been tracking their latest criminal that spikes drinks, lowering victim's willpower to the point where they're completely oblivious to what's happening around them. So naturally Felicity had willingly put herself in the field, as live bait for the criminal, but Oliver had protested the hell out of the offer so had gone with her but somehow hadn't been completely aware of what was happening, thus enabling the criminal to spike both their drinks somehow without them knowing. They had only known about it after what their lower willpower had ultimately led to. _

_Typical, the _one_ time Oliver's ninja senses aren't in use and what happens?_

_So three words though; not, her, fault. _

_Due to waking up in a random room tangled around Oliver's body and him partially on top of her, the man in question still in a deep sleep and cutting off her potential escape route, the second her brain caught up with the events of last night Felicity took the first opportunity she saw and all but legged it from the room, leaving Oliver to wake up mind-bogged behind her, fighting herself the entire time being that her head seemed 100% with her choice but her heart calling back to Oliver. _

_When she was escaping from the room it was literally the second she stepped outside that she finally realised where in fact she actually was. _

_The Queen's mansion….why did this have to happen to her?_

* * *

After throwing up multiple mornings, initially she had thought that she had contracted some bug going round work or something but after showing no other symptoms, curiosity had caused her mind to whir after many days in denial and made her wonder back to the night and think about what happened.

_Yeah, so what if she watches _way _too much TV and the topic just so happened to be included?_

She and Oliver had had unprotected…._oh crap, can this possibly get any worse?_

"Oh wait what am I talking about, course it can, I'm carrying the vigilante's child…oh great" scoffing to herself.

After the six positive pregnancy tests, she made it official….Felicity was pregnant with Oliver Queen's child and she was _beyond_ terrified.

* * *

Following the events of that week and during the next few weeks Felicity acted like nothing had happened, to the dismay of Oliver, but most of all refused to let the thought of growing a life inside of her affect her work because if she let herself do that then she wouldn't be able to stop herself from letting the entire situation come crashing down around her and that was something that wouldn't be benefitting anyone.

Felicity wasn't stupid she knew she should've probably told Oliver the moment she knew she was pregnant with his potential son or daughter but there was a voice inside her head trampling down that thought, shattering it into pieces because it didn't take a genius to know the probable conclusions to occur.

Either Oliver would completely shut her out and most likely push her out entirely from the 'Arrow' work they did at night for the fear of putting both the lives of herself and _their _child in danger, or he would accept his role in hers and her child's life and be there for the both of them, however still she kept the hidden secret to herself and planned to keep it that way for as long as possible…well until she began showing of course.

Nonetheless, things didn't go quite like she expected, or wanted, them to.

Since the start of her pregnancy Felicity's been feeling nauseous every single morning, complete with throwing up the contents of her stomach the second she woke, and was forced to begin decreasing the amount of caffeine and Big Belly she consumed to her utter devastation but if it was for the best, regarding the life currently growing inside of her, she'd be willing to lay off the junk food for a couple months.

Maybe she should've thought about this a little more at the beginning, of course Diggle would notice since they had grown so much more closer over the past two years of working together, having a relationship almost like brother and sister so when Diggle began watching her typical daily schedule that much more closer, she couldn't really say she was surprised.

* * *

After he had dropped Oliver off at QC to file some important documents, Diggle had taken her straight to Big Belly and the second Felicity had seen the look on his face, she knew it was coming.

"Alright Felicity, what's up with you and don't you dare bother about lying to me since I know you like the back of my hand. Your eating habits have changed _dramatically_, the level of caffeine is now worrying me slightly that it's been replaced by juice or water. So I'm asking you, what's wrong and don't say you're going on a diet because girl, you really don't need it and we all know it" flexing his powerful muscles that closely resembled tree trunks as he crossed them over his broad chest, looking at her intently with _that look _which was the one he used when he got something out of someone, Diggle hunched his back over to enable him to lean on the table between them.

Peering down at her hands in her lap to distract her slightly from the intensity of his eyes, Felicity could feel herself start roaring with the need to run and hide behind the nearest surface to protect herself from the potential onslaught of words she knew she was likely to receive, not from Diggle but from the rest of the world if they ever found out.

However, there was a voice that shocked her at the sheer level of protection she already felt for her child, a maternal feeling that came to her like instincts, as easy as it was to breathe.

_Something that already was leaving her in awe was the intensity of her maternal instincts to protect her child and they hadn't even been born yet. _

"Felicity, you can trust me, you know you can always come to me whenever you have a problem…so trust me now and spill" the comfort almost acting like her safety blanket in his tone was what finally broke through her defences.

"…fine. You know during that night where Oliver and I were waiting in the club for something to happen, well it did, but not in the best way for us…and more specifically, me. We both got spiked and I…can't remember anything else out of waking up together after…_it _happened between us, due to the effects of that drug. But I wasn't exactly left with only slight memories of what had happened because I….I'm….."

"…pregnant" her head shot up when Diggle spoke the word aloud that she had been avoiding since this whole thing had started. "Come on Felicity, it's obvious with your diet change and you do realise my sister-in-law was pregnant with AJ so I know all the signs, especially with the nauseous feeling you've been having every morning. The evidence is written all over your face, you may have been able to conceal it from Oliver, Felicity but not from me, I can read you like a book"

"But that's just the thing Digg, I can't…I don't want to think about it, because then it all becomes _real _and I have to face up to the responsibilities that come along with it and…I'm not ready John, I don't think I'm going to be able to handle, to cope with all of this…to cope with the fact that there's a life growing inside of me that's going to rely on me so much for protection and guidance and other things that my currently panicking mind can't wrap around right now. I'm not ready to be a mother John, all my life I've only know how to care and provide for myself since I've been doing it from a young age with my father leaving me and my mother being off working to bring decent wages into the house for the both of us. At least now I'm not showing so that gives me little time but John…what do I do about Oliver?" right now she didn't care if desperation was all he read from her features because she was terrified and she knew that if she didn't talk it all out of her system at least once, it was going to hammer her down to the ground so much later on.

"Hey, hey…Felicity just take deep breaths alright, you know Oliver's going to find out sooner or later but for now just focus on getting through this. Reminding you that I was there to help Carly through this and I'll be there for you too, you're not alone Felicity, you're never going to be alone in this" placing his much larger hand over her shaking one that she had, unbeknownst to her, placed on the table. "You'll get through this Felicity, trust me on that. Something I'm sure of because I've seen it in Carly, is that the second you see those two eyes staring up at you…you'll just know and besides, you always figure things out, it's who you are. You find another way"

"…what would I do without you Diggle?" laughing through the tears brimming behind her eyelids, Felicity smiled over at him.

"How about we don't go there because it's sure to be a scary place without you either" chocking on a laugh as a sob quickly began displacing it, Felicity relished in the feeling of comfort from Diggle who she had always seen as basically her brother.

She was far from alone.

"Thank you"

"Always for you Felicity, you're like a sister to me"

"You'll always be my brother Digg, no matter what family we're from"

* * *

After her talk with Diggle, Felicity found she was more relaxed and comfortable about her position but it was the subject of Oliver that constantly bit at her insides. Diggle, of course, was such an amazing help to her as it took a lot of weight off her shoulders.

He was always there with healthy meals and snacks at both QC and the foundry but the best part was that nobody suspected a thing because the usual routine between the two of them was known to all around them.

Taking Diggle's advice in hand, Felicity had told the other person she trusted with her life, Sara, and God if Felicity had known she would be such a support beam for her, she would've told her first thing during her discovery.

Holding sleepovers where she and Sara would just spend the entire night watching reruns of a series they'd both forgotten about or hadn't gotten around to watching yet and talking about what they planned on doing when the final day came around.

* * *

Currently she was closing in on the end of her first trimester, coming up to the three month mark and dare she say it, things were actually going kind of well but she feared if she spoke the words aloud she'd potentially jinx herself and that was definitely not wanted, especially now of all times.

Her clothing choices had changed significantly from the tight-fitting clothes she usually wore to ones that hugged her figure less but didn't come across as baggy, hiding her expanding stomach.

Thanks to the help from Diggle, Sara and Carly, Felicity had managed to set herself up a storage closet for future months, full up with clothes that would both hide her visible baby bump and be comfortable for both work in the office and behind her desk in the foundry.

"Felicity…Felicity!" Oliver's voice making her jump, broke her out of her deep thoughts, breaking her attention from where she realised she was staring at a vacant Salmon Ladder. "Are you okay?" peering up to Oliver's frowning face looming above her from her left, Felicity shook herself out of her mental-hypnotic state and refocused, her left hand unconsciously stroking across the surface of her stomach.

"Hmm…yeah, yeah I'm fine, just thinking about…stuff" shouldering through the fact that even to her own ears she sounded drawn back, acting as if she was hiding something but to be perfectly honest she didn't actually care. Things weren't exactly perfect between them but because of the events of that night, Felicity feared that things could never be the same as they once was but right now, that was the least of her concerns.

"You sure, you know you can still always tell me anything right?" and there it was again, those dreaded words that only held a false promise of security, potential judgement leaking from the seams.

"Yeah, I know"

Ignoring the flow of electricity at his touch as he squeezed her shoulder like he typically did during most nights, Felicity focused again on her work but not before Sara came over and laid a protein bar adjacent to her keyboard, rewarding the more than helpful blonde with a grateful smile as Sara brought one of the other computer chairs beside Felicity's to sit by the other blonde's side.

* * *

Since that night where he and Felicity both wrapped themselves up in a night of passion while both their willpowers had been lowered considerably, there had been a physical barrier between himself and Felicity.

She acts as if nothing even happened, but that is what he wanted originally though, wasn't it?

Being truly honest with himself, Oliver hated it, the fact that they've been separated from one another so far and fearing that they could never go back to being what they once were.

Various other things, not only with Felicity, had changed as well though.

Both Diggle and Sara spent more and more time with the blonde in question, not that he was jealous or anything, it just felt weird almost foreign to be excluded in such a way as this. But he had different matters to deal with on his plate.

* * *

Later on into Friday afternoon, Felicity found herself trapped in the realm of her own thoughts, thought after thought passing through her mind about a range of various topics.

She'd been pregnant for around three or four months now and Felicity found herself comfortably adapting to the common routine of the whole pregnancy thing and she had actually found a way of making it work as well, to her utter relief.

Sara and Diggle were always there whenever she needed them and Felicity mostly found Sara lurking around on top of the rooftops around her neighbourhood, so after a deep conversation with the other blonde, Sara had agreed on an understanding that she wouldn't lurk around on top of the rooftops if she stayed in the guest bedroom of Felicity's townhouse.

Granted it could be described as Felicity giving up more of the reins to her own privacy but to be completely honest with herself, she couldn't find herself to mind the action because it felt satisfying to know that she wasn't alone in this.

Walking around her desk at QC without paying attention to where she was walking, Felicity realised too late that her foot had become the victim of one of the numerous loose wires left lying in the corridor.

Arms flailing as she felt herself fall in slow motion, time falling past her, Felicity cradled her left right arm across her stomach, protecting the treasure inside from the blow, while her left reached out to lessen the blow to the rest of her and her hips twisted round to turn her more onto her back than front.

Darkness then engulfed her vision.

* * *

"….Felicity! Felicity, can you hear me!" like a vague voice in the distance, Felicity heard her name being called out but was left unable to answer it, her throat clogging up with worry as a thought came hurtling itself in her face.

_Her baby…._

The last registering thought was strength radiating through one body and into her own, warming her to the core but the question remained unknown as to who the identity was of the furnace whose heat was seeping into her own skin.

* * *

Shakily fluttering open her eyes, Felicity steadily took in her surroundings.

Hospital, she was in a hospital-

_Oh no._

Eyes shooting open, Felicity couldn't control her escalated breathing as she began moving each part of her body part by part, by instinct covering her stomach with her hand.

What happened?

* * *

Falling back on his experience of controlling his breathing, Oliver paced into the hospital, eyes darting around the building for as much as a glimpse of the blonde that held his heart within her hands.

"Where is Felicity Smoak?" asking furiously at reception, inwardly growling when the man couldn't even be bothered to even stop chewing and get off the phone.

Glaring at the index finger raised his way, before he could even bite down his fury Oliver snatched the man's phone and smashed it down onto the desk.

"Where. Is. _Felicity. Smoak_"

"Alright man, calm your tits. She's in room 303…shesh"

Opening his mouth to put the man in his place, glaring at the way he was looking up one of the patients, a voice came from Oliver's left.

"Mr Queen"

"How's Felicity?"

"Ms. Smoak is fine, she has suffered from a mild concussion and I advise her to spend the next week or so resting just to be on the safe side but the baby's fine though" it wasn't until seconds later that the doctor's words fully sank in.

"…wait…baby? What baby?"

"Ms. Smoak's pregnancy, uh-" glancing down at his clipboard, the doctor glanced back up again, frowning "-just proceeding through her third month as well. I just assumed you were aware of the changes for you are Ms. Smoak's emergency contact but it seems you aren't so I apologise for that"

It was in that sole moment that everything made sense, her behaviour, the actions of the team members…Felicity was _pregnant _and she hadn't told him.

He froze at the thought of there being a mini Felicity running around in a couple of months' time but who was the father?

_If Oliver felt a stream of jealous roaring round his body, blazing from his core at the thought of somebody being the father of a baby that he craved to be the father of, he didn't so much as utter a word aloud. _

"…three months?"

She hadn't spoke of any other men that she'd been involved with recently, or had she not spoke of the subject to keep the truth a secret.

No Felicity wasn't the type of woman to go sleeping around with one night stands, even if she were drunk, there were no signs of some form of relationship going on, no texts, no messages, no calls…nothing.

Oliver couldn't help freezing in the hallway as his mind wandered back to the night when they had made love …three…months….ago…

_Could it be?_

Oh.

_OH._

Felicity Smoak was pregnant with his child.

Felicity Smoak was pregnant with _his _child.

Felicity Smoak was pregnant with _his child_.

His left hand shot out to the wall in an attempt to balance himself from the sudden onslaught of thoughts that came hurtling his way.

He was going to be a father.

He was going to be the father to Felicity's baby.

He and Felicity were going to be parents.

The smile that erupted across the surface of his face was 100% out of his control at the mere thought that there was going to be an existence that he had a hand in creating that he shared now with the very woman he thanked everything to, the woman that remained to be his support beam through life's obstacles and those of his own life since the island.

He wanted their child to be born right this minute.

Thoughts circling round the woman in question that potentially carried his unborn baby that had taken a bad fall and knocked herself out cold.

Brushing past the doctor and striding towards Felicity's room, Oliver barged past the doorway and into the room where Felicity lay propped up against the headboard of the bed, her hand protectively covering her stomach and her eyes flicking all around the room like she'd just returned from an entire alternate universe.

Digg stood stoic at her side, now only just realising that one of his hands were clutching Felicity's right hand while his other lay gently on her shoulder, seemingly trying to snap her out of the daze she was in.

"…w-what happened?" the way Felicity began curling her legs up under her, curving herself round her stomach wasn't bypassed by Oliver who suddenly began feeling overwhelmed with emotions.

He wanted to cry and scream to the heavens in happiness that he was going to be a father.

He wanted to shout that this baby was being brought into a dangerous world.

He wanted to break apart this room for not being told for _months _that _his child _was growing inside the body of the woman he loved with his entire being.

He wanted to roar, daring anyone to so much as breathe in Felicity's direction.

He wanted to bundle Felicity up in bubble wrap to protect the both of them that Felicity breathed for, scared out of his mind of what happened to the previous pregnancy with Sandra and how that turned out, to never get to meet his other child that had been lost to him.

Everything immediately halted, narrowing to one particular thought with an even deeper intensity than before.

_Nobody was touching a single hair on the mother of his baby's head. _

"Ms. Smoak, try taking a deep breath. Everything's fine, you're able to be discharged today with only a mild concussion which I seriously advise you to spend the next week or so resting so your body can rest after all this-" the doctor walked into the room, clipboard in hand, as he came to a stop at the foot of Felicity's bed. "-and as I told Mr. Queen, your baby's fine. When you fell, you positioned your body in a way that you yourself took the brunt of the fall instead of your stomach and thus your child"

Exhaling deeply with a sigh of relief, Felicity closed her eyes while leaning her head back against the headboard, murmuring 'thank god' under her breath, hand subconsciously tightening over her stomach.

"I'll have the nurse send in your discharge papers and you can head home. As a father myself, Ms. Smoak, well done for protecting your baby"

"…I didn't really think about it to be perfectly honest, I just…did" sighing in relief that they were both alright, Felicity finally felt the ability to breathe lifting the weight off her shoulders.

"Get used to feeling those maternal instincts of yours because from my experience with my wife those instincts will be your constant companion for years to come. Good day Ms. Smoak and good luck" the doctor chuckled before turning and walking out of the room, leaving the three of them alone.

"…um, what exactly happened to me" Felicity turned her head to Diggle, who had now diverted his attention to her.

Diggle had been there by her side since she had woken up so he must've known what had happened to her.

"You tripped over loose wires in the corridor or QC and hit your head on the floor. From what I saw, when you fell you managed to put one arm over your stomach and one to lessen the blow for you while also curling your legs around your stomach too. I think you were more worried about your kid than yourself in the end" Diggle filled her in, hoping that Oliver was going to take the news well, while also squeezing her hand.

"Well, before I go home I just need to do something at the foundry then I'm having a long date with my bed" pulling back the covers, Felicity couldn't help the flinch when she placed her bare feet against the cold floor.

"We'll leave so you can get changed then we'll leave for the foundry" Diggle all but dragged Oliver out into the hallway.

After Felicity had changed, both men had been at either of her side as close as they could walk without being basically attached to her sides.

* * *

"Why, Felicity? Why…no actually how, _how _could you have kept this from me?" pacing around the desk area of the foundry, Oliver couldn't hold it back any longer. He had to know. "I should've known Felicity, since _I'm the father_. That you're pregnant with _my child!_"

"You think I don't know that!" pushing to her feet and standing her ground against the onslaught Oliver was facing her with. "You think I don't know everything you're about to say to me? I'm the one that has been going through this for the last three months on my own because I know what you would've done if you would've found out!"

"Really, you do? So tell me, what would've I done?" fighting against his urge to fully release his anger on her, Oliver couldn't help the awe that he felt over the depth of overprotectiveness she had for their child.

"You really need me to tell you? Fine, you would've thrown me out of the foundry and everything that I've been doing here for the last _three years_ because you think I can't protect myself, because you think I'm vulnerable _just because_ I'm pregnant. Well guess what Oliver-" not hesitating in striding forward towards him, Felicity couldn't rein in the fury flowing through her veins, her index finger prodding at his chest. "-if you think that, you need to get your head out of your arse so you can see clearly that I can take care of both myself and my unborn child"

"Our" muttering in response, Oliver found himself slightly speechless at how he had just witnessed a first-hand view of just what Felicity is capable of as a mother-in-training when defending both herself and their child, basically growling at him.

"I'll see you both when I see you, I'm taking a few days off" marching off up the stairs, Oliver fell back once again in the chair behind his position.

"Why Diggle, why did she keep this from me? And for this long as well" Oliver asked Diggle, entwining his fingers and covering his mouth and nose in some attempt to hold onto his control. Even though he was sitting, Oliver could still feel his knees shaking.

"Look man, it wasn't my call it was Felicity's but there's something you've got to know and understand before anything regarding this pregnancy. When I first confronted her about this, Felicity was so close to having a panic attack when she so much as uttered the word. Oliver, that girl is terrified beyond belief that you can't even begin to imagine. She is putting up a front and not allowing herself to truly think about anything beyond what happens next. Me, Sara and Carly have all been there for her as much as we can but in the end, she needs _you _to get her through the rest of the way. I understand that from the moment Felicity walked through those doors, she's basically been your rock, she's been your strength. Well now she needs you to be hers, now more than ever, even if she won't admit that. She's convincing herself that her mother got through this on her own so she can as well, and part of the reason that she hasn't told you is because-"

"She's scared I'm going to make her father's mistake and walk out on her" Oliver finished for him as things began becoming clearer. "Surely she must know that I couldn't possibly do that to her or our child, I love them both more than I could possibly begin to put into words…_they're my family_"

"I think that some experiences have a way of changing your outlook on life, they stay with you no matter what. So my suggestion to you is that give her tonight to just let both of you stomach it then tomorrow start building that sort of relationship with her"

"Oh I plan on it" glancing up at Digg from across the room where he sat on the edge of his own desk, Oliver realised the depth of his feelings, _his love_, for Felicity "You know when I first woke up after that night we shared…Felicity wasn't there and it….it hurt a lot. I wanted to know what it felt like to be able to see her face first thing when I woke up, what it would be like to wake with her in my arms and when I couldn't, it made me want it all the more. I've been thinking about that night for weeks on end and I can't for the life of me find a way to get her out of my mind and I wouldn't want to either. I love her John. I love her more than I've ever loved anyone"

"I don't doubt that for a second. Or the fact that she loves you too. Yet because of what her father did to her then her ex-boyfriend from college also did, she's just scared because she fears the goodbye"

"Believe me Digg, I will be doing everything in my power to convince her that the only way I'm leaving her side is if I'm physically removed from it and even then I'd still fight for her. There's nothing in this world I wouldn't do for the woman I love"

* * *

Spending the night devouring a tub of mint choc chip ice cream with Sara by her side, _she'd told her what had happened with the whole hospital and Oliver thing_, Felicity found herself feeling more at a comfort than she did previously.

The following morning, Felicity decided she wanted to do something productive and get out the house, including that she now had a couple days off from both work places, Felicity went swimming. Her doctor highly recommended the activity a couple weeks ago for further along the line of her pregnancy but now was just as good too.

As soon as she had felt the water surrounding her and let herself float for a bit in the water, Felicity felt more relaxed than she's ever felt, the tension melting from her shoulders, it was pure and utter bliss.

Beginning to swim lengths of the swimming pool, Felicity had just gotten to the other end when she spotted somebody waiting for her and it didn't need a genius to figure out who it was.

"Felicity-"

Diving underwater and propelling herself from the wall of the pool, Felicity continued to swim the lengths, fading back to when she used to be on her college swim team back all those years ago.

But her side didn't remain empty for long.

As a strong pair of arms carefully wrapped around her waist and slowly turned her round as she again reached the edge of the shallow end of the swimming pool, Felicity couldn't help but sigh. She knew this conversation was coming, she just didn't know it would be this soon.

"Felicity _please,_ can you just listen to me? I'm sorry I got angry at you but I didn't know what else to do, how else to act. But I want you to know something now. I am _not _leaving your side through the entire pregnancy, I'm refusing to. I want both you and our child-" not being able to stop himself from curling his arm round her back so it lay over her stomach as the other cradled Felicity's head in his palm.

Sighing, unknown to whether in relief or giving up the fight she's been putting up to block herself from Oliver, Felicity reached up and overlapped her own hand with him and slightly minutely leaned into his touch.

"Despite what you may think Oliver, it's not your fault"

"Felicity, I want to be part of our kid's life…if you'll let me" the meaning behind his words made Felicity intake sharply before she could do anything to stop it.

"You don't have to ask. This kid deserves to have both their parents in their life, it's not fair on them otherwise" taking the chance to glance down at her protruding stomach, Felicity couldn't help the smile or the lone tear when Oliver lowered himself in the water to kiss the skin above where the treasure lay beneath, closing his eyes all the while before diverting his gaze up to hers. "As long as you don't turn into a big sap, I think we'll all be fine" she stated before pushing off and continuing to swim her lengths, working on her muscles that she was certain she would be needing in the near future.

"I can't promise anything, I've got both of you. How can I not?" the sheer size of the smile on Oliver's face was overwhelming and being consumed by joy and laughter by every passing second as he joined her.

If Felicity noticed Oliver glancing over at every five minutes she never spoke a word on the matter, just simply continued to swim as she had for the continuous weeks.

* * *

It was mostly from that point that Oliver, like he said, pointedly refused to leave her side.

Attending her swimming sessions with her in the mornings and afternoons, shopping for groceries and making sure the house was fully stocked, laundry and various other things he completed, proving his point all the more.

Since the doctors, when he initially found out about her pregnancy, Oliver came to live with her so it made sense for Felicity to surprise him when he was in the middle of a bad day with his own key to her townhouse.

She couldn't stop laughing at how gobsmacked he looked.

* * *

Oliver knew he was in store for one hell of a verbal beating from all the members of his family.

Thea for not informing her sooner that she had a niece or nephew on the way so she could be the aunt that spoiled them rotten, his mother for 'not truly thinking' about his actions before proceeding with them and Walter for abducting and taking away his most efficient and trusted employee.

The depth he protected both Felicity and their child to left all three of them in shock, Thea's obviously not lasting very long as she was already threatening him with taking away Felicity for 'girl days out'.

Never had Moira, Walter or even Thea known Oliver to be as protective as he was for Felicity and his kid.

"If I so much as hear about any one of you putting down either Felicity or _our child_, we will be having problems. Thea, just so you know, you can't steal Felicity away from me whenever you feel like it alright?" turning to his little sister, who currently wore a gigantic smile on her face and was basically bouncing on her feet, Oliver couldn't help the smile of his own when he saw just how much Thea was looking forward to all of this.

"I promise _nothing_!" Thea sung as she skipped out of the foyer and up to her room, where she was most likely going to be gossiping about this with Roy.

Which was yet another thing Oliver was pleasantly surprised about, the fact that once Roy had found out, he had gone all 'brother' on Oliver regarding Felicity.

He was aware of the closeness of their relationship but he wasn't fully aware of it all. It made Felicity coo over his actions, to Roy's utter dismay and Oliver's raised eyebrow but grateful for knowing he cared so much for his 'adopted sister' as he had dubbed her and Thea flat out laughing.

Before anybody could even attempt to change his mind, Oliver spun on his heel and stormed out of the mansion and away from the building and towards his new family all of his own.

* * *

Breathing deeply as the sunlight warmed his skin, Oliver's eyes leisurely fluttered open as he slowly began to gain his bearings but then he glanced down.

There with her head on his chest just over his right ab laid Felicity's head still peacefully sound asleep, the rest of her body tangled with his own, except that of her protruding stomach. Her right arm was thrown over his stomach while his own right arm had bound itself around her waist so his fingers glazed her speed bump where her left arm lay wrapped around, cushioning it against the potential hard planes of the mattress.

She was positively angelic.

The light of the morning sunrise painted around her figure, creating a masterpiece before his very eyes, the sunlight crafting a spotlight around the remarkable woman.

Not being able to help himself, Oliver traced the back of his index finger along her cheek, making her sigh and burrow deeper into his side.

Ever since that night and having woken up with Felicity vacant from his side, Oliver had felt a pain in his side because he had wanted this so badly it was like a craving and now that he's had a taster of what it's like, he wants to wake to it every single day of his life for the rest of his on-going years.

To feel her warmth mingling with his own, feeling her shaped legs tangled with his own, her arms draped over his scarred body, her golden hair painting a halo around her head that lay pillowed against his right ab. The feeling of his arms around her, embracing and sharing her warmth, her light that had entranced him from day one where he had snuck into his father's office in QC and had seen her unexpectedly and had promised himself he'd meet her again _when _he had the chance.

She gave him a reason to fight.

Breathing a sigh of contentment at the feeling of it all, Oliver couldn't help but smile.

There he was lying in the bed he now shared with Felicity in her townhouse, Felicity pregnant with _his child _and enabling him to spend countless times lying in said bed with her wrapped safely in his arms that promised to never let go.

Something Oliver couldn't for the life of him say that he hated was the fact that since the moment he had made a deeper appearance, _and to him a promise of it being permanent_, in her life outside the foundry was that Felicity had developed a habit of using him as a pillow to lessen the weight caused by the pregnancy in a whole. Since he began sleeping beside her, she had returned Lyla's pregnancy pillow that she had started using before Oliver with a smile and gladly welcomed the new change, not that Oliver wanted to change anything about it though.

Reluctantly waking with a groan, Felicity couldn't help the way she began tossing and turning, trying to bury herself further into Oliver's side as she tried desperately to find a position that she'd be comfortable in but to no glory, the results were the same.

Remembering before Oliver had been aware of her pregnancy, Felicity had found a more than comfortable position in case something like this were to happen, she just considered it to be her backup default option.

Of course her main option was the pregnancy pillow, _thrown out to be replaced by Oliver_.

Her backup option was bundling the covers of her bed up and burrowing her way into there, _if the room beside her wasn't currently all being taken up by a certain Oliver Queen_. _The guy that did this to her in the first place, why couldn't he be in her position instead?_

So yes, her backup default option was of course her couch and bunching up her throw blanket that she had kept from MIT which had gotten her through all the tough times she had experienced.

As if something or somebody compelling her to get to her feet and _move_ while her herself was protesting the hell out of the movement, Felicity plodded into the lounge and collapsed onto her couch, practically diving into the throw blanket which was already set out on the arm of the chair.

Having Oliver living with her actually reaped its benefits as Felicity had managed to develop a sixth sense that tingled whenever Oliver was nearby as the air within the room changed, so this time wasn't any different as she felt the man in question a mere couple steps behind her, slotting into a position that basically spooned her.

"Comfortable now?" muttering in his I'm-still-half-asleep deep growly voice relating to his 'Arrow' voice, Felicity just concentrated all the more on bundling her fluffy throw blanket so it both enabled her to use it as a cushion for her head and belly, which she also found throwing her leg over made even more comfy, topping it all off by bending her left arm and resting her head on the triangle of her arm.

Releasing a low moan in response to his question, Felicity reached back behind her for his left hand and banded it over her side and entwined her fingers with his. She found that by doing this it made her feel all the more safe when she knew she had him right behind her, protecting her while her guard was down.

Chuckling at the action, _not commenting on how much it made his gut twist in joy that just by that small action made sleeping all the more easier and comfortable for her_, Oliver shifted to bring himself right up against her so he himself can also feel her against him in his sleep before allowing his guard to drop minutely so he drops off.

* * *

Never in her life had Moira Queen ever seen her son as happy and content in life as he did with Felicity pregnant with their child and them taking a serious step in their relationship, moving on together by living in Felicity's townhouse.

It wasn't that she didn't want to see her son _this _happy, it wasn't that at all, it was just that she was cautious about what type of woman Oliver decided on standing beside as parents for not only was his last name a big thing but for his past life before the island experience.

Moira always considered herself a cautious person, both instinctual and from what she had chosen willingly to do with her life that she would always regret beyond the belief by anyone. It was by her own choices that she was forced to adapt to the life given and crafted from the consequences, so how can she blame anyone when it was all her own doing?

However, it was all because of that one choice chosen in the past that she did the things she did and spoke in the form of the 'Ice Queen' she did. She wasn't moronic, she knew the types of comments that people made when they thought her back was turned.

So it was because of this she considered Felicity a wrong choice for Oliver, she thought of the blonde IT girl as a weak choosing when Oliver had also grown into such a strong man, both physically and mentally.

But something she never could've imagined was her views of the same woman that had voiced her wrongs over her daughter by making yet another wrong choice of sleeping in the bed of her late husband's best friend, proving herself to be stronger than people gave her credit for and it was mainly this that was the mental slap round the face.

Oliver was one of the only ones who knew the depths of strength the blonde possessed but never showed and that was something he loved about her, that she worked from the shadows, not showing her face for the publicity it would bring for she didn't want the fame and fortune, to reap the rewards, only wanting the benefits that came from her actions and said strength.

_Love_….

The same word that Moira never thought she would ever say in the same sentence as Oliver Queen. But it was just that that was also so wrong. _Ollie Queen_ didn't love he slept with different girls every time he cheated on his only lengthily relationship despite the on/off switch within said relationship. So it was that – _among other things _– that knocked the Ice Queen speechless.

The woman wielded the type of power that not only Moira Queen craved that she kept to herself, as an inner voice, an inner strength that emanated like stars in the sky, not always visible but always there.

Felicity Smoak was the strong woman that Moira Queen was picturing as the person that took their rightful place because her son in life and for that she would forever be eternally grateful for the kind of strength the woman showed to those that looked in the right places.

The events that happened during her fifth month of pregnancy showed as evidence of this newly adapted view and a show of a fraction of the intensity of the independent power Moira still remained in awe over.

* * *

It was only supposed to be a normal day in the office but as always, life in Starling was never predictable.

When everything was running smoothly as another day would typically consist of, _Felicity couldn't really say she was surprised though_, it had barely ticked past one o'clock in the afternoon when the elevator dinged and out came the chaos sounding off with gunshots and screams of terror.

Seven men dressed head to toe in black outfits concealing their identities burst into the joint office of Oliver and Felicity armed with loaded machine guns, falsely aiming the weapons at the scattering now-hostages.

As if a sixth sense, Felicity could feel Oliver's very alert gaze searing a hole in her back as she faced away from his office along with his mother, crowded by the vertical surface of her desk. Scraping by for a second's glance through the floor to ceiling window that peered into Oliver's office, Felicity instantly locked gazes with Oliver's and she didn't need telepathy to know what his thoughts mainly consisted of. Getting to her and protecting their unborn child but apparently fate didn't agree with that so much as one of the guys shouted that if any one of them moved a muscle, they would be shot on the spot.

She could already tell that they would hold their word till the end for the look in their eyes were so cold it spoke volumes that barely even needed verbal confirmation, they weren't afraid to take a life.

"Well, well, well what do we have here?" eyes darting to the man checking out her stomach, turning to grin knowingly at Oliver, whilst beginning to move towards her position curled up beside Moira but before the man reached her, Felicity felt a fire ignite, roaring through her entire being with such a ferocity her voice imitated the 'Arrow' voice without the modulator.

"You dare take one more step towards me I swear to everything you hold dear, I will wipe your existence off the face of this Earth without so much as a blink and if you think I'm bluffing, just you dare try" not needing to see her own face to know that her eyes contained such an inferno it even knocked Moira speechless, sending the man in front of them a more than clear message.

Locking her eyes onto the now laughing man in front of her, watching his every move, Felicity barely felt an ounce of fear she would normally feel if everything was back to normal but not now and to be quite honest, she hardly gave a care to the wind as her work colleagues and her baby's father's mother witnessed her words.

Her child was more important than anything.

Exhaling her relief as all the men turned towards the windows down the hallways as the Canary and Arsenal came bursting through the windows, weapons drawn, backed up by Captain Lance and the SCPD.

Upon feeling a presence to her left, Felicity diverted her gaze to watch as Oliver practically skidded to a halt beside her, gathering her up into his arms as gunshots fired off through the offices, Oliver holding himself firmly above Felicity and Moira, protecting three important people in his life.

* * *

It's beyond rare for her to ever even _admit _the words, let alone include them in an _apology _to someone far beneath her rank but as the attack on QC finally withdrew its fire, Moira turned her attention to the two figures- well one figure huddled round a gurney, practically attacking the paramedic with questions whilst clutching his baby mama's hand in his own.

Not once has Oliver ever taken his eyes off Ms. Smoak-Felicity the entire time, not even to check on the other innocent people caught in the attack.

Standing to her full height and status as Moira Queen (A.K.A Ice Queen), the woman in question strode over to the gurney and locked eyes with the couple still being tended to by the paramedics.

"I sincerely hope, Ms. Smoak, that you consider spending the rest of your pregnancy in the Queen house so we may all help with the newest member of the Queen family, I feel Oliver may feel benefitted from this as more security will be placed around you both. Thea, and myself, included will definitely enjoy helping the pair of you out"

Thankful for the fact being that she was lying down, the scene playing out before her would've most likely knocked her out stone cold _like Moira every day of her life_.

Something she would always wonder for the life of her was how they actually got to accepting the invitation Moira _oh so kindly _offered, but mainly _why _they accepted it in the first place. One of the only things she was absolutely positive on was that practically the only reason why Oliver thought it was such a brilliant idea was that there would be more protection for her and their child than just solely him and an alarm.

Though despite what Felicity had originally thought it was going to end up being like, dare she say it but she was actually wrong in her viewings. Where she thought Moira would belittle her every chance she got, she actually begun warming up to her and began calling her 'sweetheart', giving her _motherly _advice when it came to foods that would suit both her and her baby, the best positions to sleep in and how to help with the cravings and morning sickness.

Thea, however, was having the time of her life going on shopping frenzies consisting of transgender clothing, ready for it being either son or daughter. Oliver though was beside himself when he spotted just how many green items of clothing Thea had purchased, ranging from light greens to dark.

Felicity just left the pair to themselves whilst seeking out something stable, _and definitely not the fridge in the kitchen_.

_If it left Felicity scratching her head wondering if Moira Queen had been abducted and replaced with the alternate version of herself, she never spoke a word but one thing was for sure, if this was anything like 'Coraline' Felicity wouldn't hesitate to snatch up the insect spray._

* * *

Ever since both Felicity and he had agreed to return back into the Queen's manor, Oliver found himself more comfortable and relaxed for not only were they both somewhere in which Oliver knew so trusted safety-wise that made it easier to fall asleep but also the fact being that everyone knew the Queen manor was one of the most safest places for the maximum security surrounding the building.

He often found himself reaching for her in the middle of the night sometimes, just needing to feel that connection to his own growing family that made him remember it was _real _and wasn't going _anywhere_. What he never managed to escape though was the intensity of his senses whenever he dropped his guard to fall asleep, minute sounds in the night would wake him from his sleep and send his mind spinning with scenarios each time until he knew for definite everything was safe and he would simply reach for Felicity and fall back asleep once more as her pregnancy pillow.

So that was one of the reasons why Oliver suddenly started awake at the sound of heavy panting along with slight pained breathing. Tracking the sound back to its source, Oliver began panicking when he spotted Felicity leaning up against the headboard, drenched in her own sweat and obviously trying to keep her breathing under control.

"Felicity what's wrong, is it the baby? Please baby, talk to me?"

Jumping slightly when she abruptly snatched up his left hand and dug both their hands into the mattress, Oliver hardly knew what to do and it only served to increase his panic when he saw the puddle of moisture soaking the bed sheets where Felicity laid.

"…it's time….baby's coming…" panting out her response, it only served to make Oliver panic all the more, one of the only times in his life when he wasn't in control since the island.

"_Now…_I-I don't know what to do…I'll get Thea and mum, they'll know what to do" jumping to his feet and scrambling off the door, Oliver was gone in a flash down the hallways yelling for his sister and mother, startling them both up from their sleep.

Mere seconds passed before the three Queens returned to Oliver's room, Moira going straight to Felicity's side resting her hand on her hunched back as Thea was snatching Oliver's phone from his bed side table and calling for an ambulance whilst Oliver stood at the foot of the bed watching as Moira helped Felicity breathe through the contractions- _contractions! What the hell were contractions?_

_It certainly didn't help when Felicity continued making pained sounds that were the knife to his gut. _

"Oliver don't just stand there gaping, go get some towels or something!" Thea's voice rung out, Oliver instantly knowing she was dead serious as she hadn't called him 'Ollie'.

Not waiting to be told twice, he practically sprinted dead on for his bathroom and snatched up every single towel that caught his sight.

Upon returning to the three women, Oliver hardly noticed his shaky hands until he passed his sister the towels as she helping their mother tend to Felicity.

* * *

_Nine hours. _

On July 24th 2015 nine hours after Felicity went into labour, his baby girl came screaming her lungs out into the world, weighing in at 7.5 pounds.

Birthed naturally by Felicity, Oliver was there the entire length of his daughter's birth holding Felicity's hand and never in his life had he ever been more thankful for his pain threshold training as Felicity decided that he needed to go through some pain also.

As the midwife cleaned the baby up Oliver took the chance to check on Felicity who was clearly teetering on the edge of exhaustion and consciousness.

* * *

Born to the two new parents of Felicity Smoak and Oliver Queen, Mackenzie Dearden Queen spent the rest of the night cradled in her mother's embrace in the circle of her father's arms as her aunts, uncles and grandmother watched on in silent tears at the new family.


	63. I Regret Nothing

_Oh this was so not going to work._

Biting through the disbelief at pulling this off, Felicity pulled open the door to the foundry and held her breath as she zoned into the conversation the team were in the middle of discussing and descended down the staircase, double checking that her jacket was secure over her wrist.

"No the best combat weapon is obviously a bow and arrows because it can be used from both short and long distance shots and if you run out of arrows you can always fight with the actual bow" Oliver argued, Roy agreeing shortly afterwards from his position leaning against the end of the table whilst his mentor sat atop of the table in question.

"Guns are always the default weapon of choice, when you think combat you immediately think guns. They're quick in taking out your enemies and providing excellent defence" Diggle crossed his massive tree trunk arms from his position opposite Oliver, Sara scoffing from where she sat mounting on of the computer chairs. "What? Think otherwise Sara?"

"You three are acting like five year olds fighting over your favourite TMNT characters. Everyone knows Bo staffs are just as good as any other weapon but you don't see me at any of your throats do you? Felicity! What do you think?" diverting the attention to the not-so-blonde-blonde woman that winced at the thought of actually managing to get to her desk without anyone noticing because just like that the entire team began taking in her appearance.

Diggle instantly began eyeing the way Felicity held the arm that her jacket covered close to her chest as though injured since he's experienced enough injuries for a lifetime to know exactly what you did self-consciously to protect your injury.

"Felicity, are you alright?" ignoring the way the other team mates were looking curiously in on the scene before them, Diggle hardly let his eyes trail off her arm as he made his way to her desk to resume his typical position at her side.

"Yeah, yep, I'm good, I'm fine why you asking?" the falseness in her tone was as obvious as day as Felicity added hand gestures as if waving off their worry and concern.

You didn't need to be a genius to figure out that she was keeping a secret.

As Felicity focused most of her concentration on making the team think she was _actually _fine, she made the mistake of forgetting what she was faking in the first place as she lowered her left hand to spin her chair around to face her, the pain instantly snapping her attention to her hand as fire roared up her arm, a storm brewing in her wrist.

Immediately moving to her side Oliver removed her jacket, frowning when the zipper of the jacket brushed against the top of her hand and she hissed from the pain.

"What the hell happened?" biting out as he carefully cradled her wrist in his much larger hand, Oliver barely looked up into her own gaze as Felicity sighed, realising they were going to find out sooner or later, better off being sooner.

Before she could even open her mouth to answer his question, the sound of the foundry door opening and closing as two sets of heeled footsteps set off down the stairs broke off her focus from Oliver and onto Thea and Laurel.

"Hey Liz, do you actually know the state you left that grade A arsehole in?" Thea asked aloud before pausing to take in the scene in the foundry, "…oh…..um, oops?" shrugging when Felicity rolled her eyes at the entire thing in all.

"Fine, fine, I broke my hand as you can probably tell since apparently I can't keep minor secrets for shit" taking a seat in her chair as Sara began applying the plaster cast, not helping but training her eyes on her hand as Sara proceeded as if Felicity's hand was delicate china, _most likely because of a certain hooded vigilante keeping a vigil eye on his girl Friday. _

"Would you like to explain _why _your hand's broken?" Diggle asked, his gaze flickering over to the two brunettes sniggering near the stairs.

"...because some douchebag called me a pathetic bimbo who apparently got my job of VP on my knees" sighing as she reluctantly relented, Felicity threw a glare over at Thea who was 'dying of laughter'.

"_WHAT?" _Oliver bellowed with figurative puffs of smoke emitting from his ears.

"Oh don't worry Ollie Liz handled the situation wonderfully…well apart from breaking her hand that is"

"Broke the fucker's nose" Laurel laughed from Thea's side.

"I regret nothing" Felicity deadpanned, making everyone besides Oliver laugh.

* * *

"Hey, give me a martini, shaken not stirred" the scruffy man exhaled, clutching at his nose still as it continued to relentlessly throb.

All he was aware of was one moment he was waiting upon his drink then the next, an unbearable pain devoured his right leg as his forehead collided with a hard surface.

"Next time you insult my girlfriend, it'll be your other leg" a dark voice growled low into his ear before leaving him barely sitting atop the bar stools.

Turning his attention to the glass suddenly placed in front of him on the bar, the kid behind the bar huffed in amusement.

"Man you really are a moron for insulting his girlfriend, you're lucky you're not in hospital right now"

Chancing his luck once more at the way the man in question had disappeared in. At the sight of the glare thrown his way, his skin abruptly erupted in a body-wracking shiver.

_Yup definitely not going anywhere near that blonde anytime soon._


	64. My Little Red

**So this is something new that I wanted to try out, typically I don't tend to write my stories in 1st person but with this one, something that told me to try it this way so here it is. I hope you enjoy reading it. **

**As always, please leave a review and tell me your thoughts it really helps. **

**Thanks and enjoy x**

If someone was to ask me when it began happening or why it happens to me, I would be unable to answer either question, their own answer would be as good as my own. One of the only components I'm sure of is no matter what I try, I can't avoid it.

I tried once…avoiding it. I surrounded myself with the darkness from the deepest parts of the forest that nobody would dare venture to but success did not solidify before me because _he _still came after me.

_He _always comes for me no matter where I am, _he _will always find me.

I'm not sure as to what he wants from me or why he pursues me like this but every night when the moon is at its fullest, I find myself in his powerful arms and during that night he takes me to his home and encloses me within the warmth of his body. It feels as though it's a constant game of predator and prey, the looks he gives me when I take in the emotions claiming his face. His gaze is predatory towards me, as though in some way he has already claimed me as _his_. It is as though somebody has painted his gaze with chalk, outlining it with so much depth that it hoards an entire ocean within its hold.

I can't ask him why he follows me like this, or steals me away to his cave in the mountainside for there is no argument upon the fact being that he will never answer me.

Upon the first night he came after me was following the events of which I ventured into the forest to travel to my friend's cottage deep within the forest, she prefers the silence of the forest to that of the local village as she's been forced upon the unfortunate happenings of becoming an orphan at only ten years old. Whilst becoming the sole inhabitant within her mother's old cottage in the woods, she has turned a blind eye to all those that wished on her company for I am the only one she accepts within her life as she has always been that of my own sister. We share the same tale of woe, those we cared for being struck down where they stood. I enjoy the walk where I venture into the forest all on my lonesome for it is as silent as the night, I find myself being able to breathe and truly think about my next step in life. If my mother were still breathing, she would be on my tail about the matter of a husband, somebody I can rely on for my protection and support.

Who needs the support and protection that a husband can give when I can look after myself as well as if I were to have a husband by my side through life? I've supported and cared for myself perfectly fine these past two decades, factoring in that of the help of John of course, so I am perfectly capable of continuing it for as long as is necessary.

During both the arrival and the returning from the little cottage, I had felt a shadow fall upon my own which had kept me on my toes.

…husbands.

The words is as creepy as _lovers_.

What tedious names they own to those who have expectations of their wife…and that's the first point, _their_. Women do not _belong _to men, we are just important than they are. Granted they are the physical strength of the village however, when one is expected to produce heirs for the husband of the family with them being healthy little baby boys, the preferred sex rather than a little girl, when one must grow and carry this little babe for close to a year without fault whilst still keeping up-to-date with their 'expected chores' it is not the men that possess the strength it is us women. Sometimes I laugh as my mind conjures up images of this village without us women, just seeing how far the men will be able to hold themselves then would be more than brilliant to witness.

My apologises as I am becoming caught up in my inner ramblings once more, it is not an odd occurrence for my mind to take itself off onto an adventure with the different variations of thoughts it may muster up in my spare time.

…right, ah the forest, an argument conjured up by many as the 'battle zone' as we have had the unfortunate mishappenings of a few deaths within the leagues of the shadows that the trees keeps fenced in.

I'm not a simpleton as to what nightmares lurk within the shadows of the forest, this knowledge I owe to my best friend John Diggle, who works as a blacksmith for our little village, he's been there since the death of my parents the year after my birth, he's the only family I have left you see.

The only thing my parents ever left for me was that of my red cape, initially it was five times my little size but I grew up…that having gone both ways, what was there left for me to do when one loses the lives of both her parents and nobody left blood-related to take you under their wing?

On the outskirts of my village was when our original meeting first commenced, I could feel his eyes burning holes in my skin, going straight through the fabric of my crimson red hooded cape.

We only simply locked gazes for an eternity's moment and I knew the look surprise within his eyes when I did not shrivel up amongst the trees in fear of him, simply standing opposite him as his acquaintance.

Maybe it was then that he developed an intriguing taste for my contentment to be in his presence for the following night when the moon rose to observe all the living below was when he came after me.

As an orphan I grew up in solitude so I instantly rose to the new presence within my home, his shadow casting an entire new darkness within the room. Frozen, I didn't know what to do, how to act so simply permitted his actions of taking in my scent before stealing me away into the shadows of the forest that I had become accustomed to.

As to this day and age I'm unsure as to why I initially endorsed his actions as I'm fully aware of the myths and legends from the books I'm able to get my hands on but would I be considered as an outcast to common sense when I tell you there was something in the way he held me with the upmost care that I found myself falling back on a sense of trust and…_belonging?_

You may question me on my choice of wording now as how can I feel a sense of _belonging _and my answer to you then is, well my answer is unclear as that is as I am to be all truthful. Maybe it's from the matter of being now not _completely _alone in this house finally that has led my thoughts to trail to this choice but I can assure you it has nothing to do with anything dwelling on my past tragedy. No, this is different, I can feel it but I can't simply add words to what my system is feeling now, maybe I will uncover the secrets that are so closed up to myself?

Even now, a year following the event, I find myself looking into the eyes of the same soul that I knew then and wondering how he can continue to make me feel the same as I did then. That saying 'Always trust your gut', well my gut tells me to trust him.

Nobody in the village knows of these continuous nightly activities of mine and that, I believe, is for the better of not mine but _his_.

After all this time, never once has _he _ever spoken to me.

_He_….that is what I call him.

No given name does _he_ own to my knowledge.

Why does it hurt so much that I come to trust him so but he doesn't reciprocate that in response?

I once got tired of the same repetitive motions made by him one night and decided upon hiding within the highest parts of my little cottage owned by my parents before me on the outskirts of my village, relatively far away from my community.

I knew of his ways of tracking me down, mainly that of my scent so beforehand I spent all my available time within the regions of another family, the Lance's among the village as Sara is the closest to a sister I have, so there was no way he could track my scent.

As always, he entered along with the shadows of the night searching for me but alas he came to a quick conclusion that I was not within the four walls as he couldn't get a whiff of my true scent.

Rather quickly I watched as fury and rage possessed him, digging his claws deep into his shaggy dirty blonde mane, low growls emitting from his throat.

Then as quick as he entered, he was out with the nightly breeze.

Maybe it was quite a juvenile thing to do, to hide from him as though we were playing a game of hide and seek but it couldn't be helped. There was too much unknown air drifting round us both, they do always say that the worst fear is the fear of the unknown and in this instance it's not budging at all.

Maybe it was the fear of _him _returning that made me not leave my perch from which I knew I was safe and unseen but a part of me still devoured me inside out that I should've just faced him head-on as I do with all my fears….

_Fear_….

Never in all the time I've known _him _have I known myself to relate to the word of fear, have things changed?

It was that one question that stayed with me day and night until that one faithful day in the village.

* * *

One of the best parts about living in a village is that everybody knows each other so if anyone new walks into, all alarms are on guard. So that's why when I walked into town, the familiar feeling of eyes upon my back fell upon my being surprised me.

The moment I began seeking out the owner of the gaze, my own fell upon the more-than-familiar sight of the two sky blue orbs staring me back from across the pathway near the well.

_Him…he _was there in front of her in broad daylight.

Confusion clouded my path as it began to turn it misty rendering me unable to observe what was up ahead. I didn't know what he wanted from me or if I was apparently all but a little game to him, giving him something to play with.

Removing my gaze from his hastily but not to cause attention to myself, I continued on with my set plans for that day.

_I would not fall prey to his game of reeling me in like a sea bass._

* * *

Days turned into weeks as they dwindled past without haste, _him _remaining in the village for the near future but strangely not acting into his normal behaviour and by that I mean when the moon is at its fullest he doesn't enter within the shadows like other nights for the months before.

I didn't know what to make of this so I passed it off as him losing interest as none other than Laurel Lance captured his immediate attention as the two of them flirted their way into the rising sun, rarely leaving the other's side.

Do not mistake my thoughts as jealous-induced, as the 'green-eyed monster' did not accompany my thoughts and emotions towards _him_. He has kept me in the state of confusion for the past half year so to finally be released from this constant prolonging state is a breath of fresh air as now I am able to return to my typical life.

Very soon there would be a celebration and this 'celebration' mainly revolves around the idea of the younger generation of the village to begin thinking of pairing themselves together with another.

I've always hated this supposed 'celebration' as it is the main time of year where those 'young gentlemen' of the village imbed themselves into my presence. So this is exactly why I hoard myself up in my cottage until the night passes or decide on a visit to Lily, her cottage deep in the forest is a perfect location to hide in.

As my thoughts overtook my mind, I was unaware of the longing gaze thrown my way as I continued on my path, distracted.

* * *

Gasping as a callused hand ghosted above my abdomen heading further south, a muscular thigh forced itself up against my centre, my back arching off the mattress in response to his rough treatment.

I couldn't help but shiver as he growled low into my ear, sucking the lobe in between his teeth and skimming his teeth over the top of the sensitive flesh, not helping as I stole a glance up at him to see a heated gaze staring me back.

"_You don't know how much I crave you. _How much I desire to make you mine to the world, daring anyone else to object to my other half….hmm_, Felicity"_

Hands shooting up to grasp at the powerful muscles lining down his back, I brought him down to collide with own torso as he claimed my lips as his territory, covering the expanse of my body with his own as though to separate me from the rest of the world, holding me prisoner against him.

"_Say it Felicity_…who do you belong to?"

When no words escaped my lips, I felt the vibrations of his growl make my centre begin erupting with lust for him, desperation making me desire him all the more. My arousal surrounded me, consumed me from the inside out.

No matter how hard I tried to bring words to my mouth, my body rejected the multiple attempts, becoming a prisoner to his onslaught of pleasure he directed my way.

Upon feeling his rough hand in contrast to my smooth skin fist in my long locks, he forcibly turned my head to the side as he attacked the side of my neck in bites before smoothing them with his kisses, staking a visible claim to me for everyone to see.

"_You're mine Felicity…_no matter where you are, _I will always find you_"

* * *

Jerking awake, a glistening sheet of sweat masking itself across the expanse of my forehead making my hair fuse to my skin welcomed me.

_It was just a dream_.

_It was just a dream_.

_It was just a dream_.

No matter how many times I repeated this as a mantra to myself, it still didn't take back how real it seemed.

The way he had growled into my ear after staking his claim to my being refused to be budged from my thoughts as I finally began taking in just what effects my dream had had on my body, the moisture between my legs caught my main attention.

"…oh Lord" murmuring to the air of arousal created, I fell back into the comfort of my pillows, praying to overcome the aftereffects and get over how it was only a dream and to be remaining that way.

Glancing down I took in how my bedding seemed to be bundled up and pressing against my core and…_oh God_, my legs were wrapped around my bedding as though _he_\- NO!

Forcefully halting my thoughts before they strayed any further, I prayed to anyone that was listening that I could get over the impact _he _had on me…if not for my own sanity.

Upon compelling myself to take deep breaths to rid my body of the state my dream had left me in, I barely noticed the heavy knock echoing throughout the dense air of my cottage until it turned into one of almost desperation when I didn't answer it for the span of a minute.

Pulling my senses out of their lustful state, I was hardly aware of how I snatched my robe off the back of the dining chair, fighting to not stumble towards the door.

Exhaling my last breath before pulling the door open to reveal…_oh no_.

_Him. _

Staring shockingly at him as the images of my fading dream subsided, I had no other choice but to lock my thighs together under the cover of my robe as the pleasure left me dangling over the edge my no more than a thread.

"…Felicity" and just like that the effect my dream had collided with me with such a force it left me breathless before him.

I didn't need to have his mind to know he could smell my arousal building back up.

As I observed the way his eyes darkened until his iris completely decoloured into the deep abyss of oblivion, I knew it was affecting him as well.

"_Felicity_" as he growled, I was utterly defenceless to the way he practically barged into my home, my body only being able to back me up into wall diagonally opposite to her front door, the solid feeling of support against my back being the only matter holding me up.

As though I was watching in on the moment from outside my own body, I found myself unable to complete any action apart from observe the way he slammed the door shut, pacing before me like it was the only way to stop himself from reaching out for me and closing the distance between the two of us.

I know his awareness of my knowledge of his secret he kept from the entirety of the village, but I'm also aware of how despite the intensity I spite the knowing but _he _was the one in complete control over me within the moment.

"Are you fully aware of just how crazy you drive me?" growling out lowly as though he would do before, my thoughts wouldn't halt into their trail of comparing his actions tonight of those the last time I saw him before he entered my village exposing a mild side to his being. "…no matter what I try, I _can't _stop thinking about you. Your eyes, your lips, your skin…how it feels against mine"

Biting back the arousal it caused me to hear his growly voice that's not generated within the depths of my dreams, my thighs desperately squeezed back the pleasure oozing from my centre which apparently wasn't just noticed by me as unfortunately it captured his attention also as his gaze once more returned to mine whilst he stepped closer but just out of arm's distance, clearly not trusting himself around me….._well that makes me feel even better in this situation_.

"Why can't I stop thinking about you, even _before_ you intrigued me to such lengths that I was adamant on returning for you every night when I could. That night when I couldn't find you _I lost it…_that was the first time I was aware of how much power you hold over me"

To my own ears, my heartbeat pounded in my chest creating a beat as my breaths sung along to the melody. _I wasn't ready for this_ but it was out of my own control.

"I've never wanted anyone in my life not nearly as much as _I want you_. My mind was dead set on you even when with that Lance girl. I even tried a meaningless fling with her to get my mind off of you and still I came up empty. _How? _How have you bewitched me so much that I physically can't _breathe _without you?"

_He was right there_, he was right in front of me as though nothing but a mere apparition my mind was conjuring up and to be honest I wouldn't be all that surprised if all this turned out to be nothing but a thought within her mind, a story being written from her own personal view.

Then as though a pin being dropped, the silence encased us both within our moment of emotion before he had me pinned up right against the wall, his body fused against mine. His need for me pressed to my centre, finding my readiness for him waiting.

"_Why don't you fear me?" _

Breathing in his snarled question I found myself, like in my dream, unable to answer, he was overwhelming me whole.

"_Answer me, Fe-li-ci-ty" _

That was it.

"…how do you know my name?"

For the first time in _months_, words escaped my mouth and I spoke to him.

"I know more about you than I care to admit to you. That blacksmiths seems to have quite the keen eye on you round the village but it is not as the others are, why is that I wonder? An adopted sibling-like relationship I presume? _And you are yet to answer my question Felicity"_

"What is there to be frightened off? A lost soul perhaps, one that is looking for redemption in the cruel ways of the world? Looking for their lost light misplaced with the dark? Answer me _that_, _why _should I be scared of you when I see nothing to be scared of?"

"…_the unknown_. The fear plants itself within the minds of men everywhere. Telling women they are not strong enough to overcome it, perceiving others as a nightmare that lurks within the shadows like the myths that of the forest"

"You expect me to fall into the knowing trap of the unknown? I _revel_ in the need for it for it brings adventure into my soul, brings a sense of comfort and serenity where others choose not to pursue it, not to follow it to where it leads down into the 'nightmare of the dark'. Since a young age, the unknown is to be something cherished not rejected as though a monster waiting to strike, you just have to be courageous enough to close your eyes and dare to trust what you don't know to be there. Isn't that what many want from life? Adventure? Danger? Mystery? Well some are not brave enough to trust what you can't see" I know my ramblings were rolling along too far to be reined in now but I found myself unable to care, it was a welcomed distraction to see the storm of emotions war within the depths of his eyes.

"Most scream and run for protection when they spot me but not you, you stand there as though you always have and accept me into your life, into your world. Why?"

"Maybe one understands the tiredness of the lonesome path when they walk it themselves"

It felt like an eternity as he just stared at me like he was judging something within myself that he didn't see too often and although most times I would recoil at the action of being judged, the something returned about him leading me into my trust for him once more.

"Tonight I learnt of the celebration that is shared in the village and how it is a becoming of marriage for couples chosen by themselves or encouraged by their parents or loved ones. So why weren't you within the midst of the crowd?"

"Because I do not believe in being treated as honey to insects as 'potential husbands' decide to imbed themselves within my presence, husbands are not needed as much as some may perceive them to be. Women have courage of their own and are allowed to embrace it and they do not need somebody to provide unnecessary strength or protection. I have lived on my lonesome ever since I can remember, I've provided myself with the means of life perfectly fine and I will continue to do so for as long as necessary. I do not need a husband to expect matters of me that I do not find myself wanting to do. The fact remaining that there are ones within this village that pray upon these times to offer disgusting offers that honestly make me rather share my lunch from the previous week with the floor"

"For one so small, you sure do have a fire in your soul to light your path and warm your home. As for the matter concerning your view on husbands, is rather interesting. See in my ways Felicity, when a man and woman become one with each other they both choose the other, nothing one-sided, for marriage is eternal. So Felicity, let me tell you this now. From the moment we met and you proved your views of me to be not of disgust but of something else entirely, I wanted you to be mine as _my wife_ for there is no other way I'm accepting leave of you"

I couldn't do anything I froze yet again but this time out of something completely and entirely different.

For the first time in my life I _wanted_ somebody as my husband, the soul beside my own in life until the end and that thought was what _terrified _me to no end.

This man who I had known barely for half a year, who had developed an addiction to me, had completely swept me off my feet and the worst part is that I didn't even know when.

I could picture it, _all _of it.

The house in the forest, the children running around, the everlasting love…

_Love_.

….

_I loved him_.

"_Felicity_" snapping my trailing thoughts back to the matter at hand, marriage. But that was what I was pondering myself on, _do I_?

Several lifetimes seemed to pass me by as I concluded my concepts on everything I've ever known. I've grown up to the belief that husbands are an unnecessary accessory in life so to be suddenly thrust into a situation being on a man that I find myself having a _connection _with proposing a life with him for the rest of my living days, that is as though somebody abruptly discarding me into the depths of the ocean with an anchor weighing me down to the bottom.

However, no matter how much I regard myself now, this man is not as many may perceive him to be. He's a different variation of soul from that of within my village but only I know of his secret and how is blackens his life so.

If it was another he had brought himself to, another to whom he trusted the remnants of his life with I am unable to think that he would remain in the view of innocence from the village as they would treat him like an outcast, a monster from the 'battle zone' of the forest.

It was just then that I mainly realised just how protective I became over him in that sole instance.

Before I knew of the action, my body completely possessed me as I nodded in my acceptance of him, of becoming his wife in our lives now entwining for eternity and just like that the air between us changed significantly as though he refused to hold himself back any more.

In the blink of an eye, he pinned me right against the wall with his broad body, clasping hold of my wrists and flattening them back against the solidity behind me, entwining our fingers in a probable attempt of control of his body.

"I'm warning you now_ Felicity_, now I've got my hands on you I won't be able to control myself like I've had to suffer through previously. Now you've agreed to becoming my wife I'm going to spend the remainder of this night finishing what you've started…" pausing in his words whilst lowering his head to the crook of my shoulder, he inhaled my scent, a low growl rumbling against my own self, sending vibrations straight to my core bringing back the sensations my dream held over me. "…I could _smell _you from outside your cottage. Oh sweet Felicity, you don't know to what extent my mind travelled to in the matter of just what it made me want to do to you in response"

Refusing my traitor of a body to go any further in the sensations rolling over me from his words, I forced my breathing to a stable state before pushing out my thoughts aside from this current moment.

"I don't believe it to be fair, you know of my name but I do not have the returning embrace of yours" mentally taking a breath when he focused instead on my facial details, I couldn't help the way my gaze rolled over his own handsome details and complexion.

"Only my name, Felicity, is to be the only name on your lips, the only one you're allowed to call out" once again lowering his face to the crook of my shoulder, he nuzzled the skin of my neck before branding the skin with his name.

_Oliver_.

Unable to control the effects his motions caused me, my back arched off of the wall, flattening my assets tightly against his strong chest, causing yet another growl to emanate from the back of his throat.

"_Mine_" was the only word he snarled out before ramming me against the wall after practically tearing the cloth of his shirt from his form, colliding every part of my being with his own leaving no place untouched by him as he swept my feet clean off the floor, my thighs instantly bracketing his waist and in consequence pushing our centres together. The sensation that roared through the both of us was uncanny to what I've felt before.

As the emotions suffocated the air around us, _Oliver _claimed my lips as his own, completely supporting me as he moved us from the wall and to my bed in the other room.

Finally giving into the swelling passion I felt for the man grasping me against him as though he refused to ever let me go, I arched my back as far as my limits went to and racked my nails through his short cut hair, against his scalp earning me a frenzied growl in response.

It was unbelievable, how one animalistic man could turn into such a beast in one moment then into such a loving and caring in another as he gently laid himself down, keeping his firm hold of my hips as I straddled the man.

Again using my nails to rake down his chest, over the tops of his nipples, earning another reward of a growl, Oliver lowered one of his hands to my rear to collide our centres all the more as the other rose to the small of my back to keep our bodies securely fused together.

Removing my hands from his chest to reach back and begin undoing my dressing gown, I soon found myself being given a helping hand as Oliver swiftly whipped the clothing in question from my body, palming the back of my neck to draw me down to meet his lips. Returning his devouring embrace, I couldn't stop the movement of my hips against his which drew his attention to another matter being present.

Shifting all the more closer as I felt his callused hands spread across the expanse of my back, making the tiny hairs over my skin erupt in sensations, I positioned my hands to keep me as close to him as I could possibly get before Oliver fluently but carefully flipped the both of us over.

As Oliver positioned himself between my thighs, the elements between my dream and reality began to co-exist, leaving me bewildered as to which was truly real and what was created from fantasy of what I _wanted _him to do.

Whilst views and beliefs clotted my brain into a tangle of webbings unknown to even myself, I simply proceeded to do all that I could.

I held on tight to the potential ride of my entire existence, hoping and praying that my strength would be enough to get myself through the potential predicaments that lay up ahead.

Who can ever know what lies around the corner of the river, the only thing you can possibly do is to prepare yourself for whatever life may throw your way but one thing that was true to me now was that together with Oliver by my side, we would be okay.

* * *

If anyone else discovered the secret truth hidden behind the several masks Oliver wore in disguise, we would face the endangerment of being ousted into the world that demons pray upon.

If anyone revealed the truth to the light of the world to just what I had gotten myself into, I would never be viewed the same again by others.

I had fallen in love with a werewolf and for the life of me, _I couldn't stop_.


	65. The Last Goodbye

**So in advance, I apologise for this one. Even as I was writing this I was crying but maybe that was because I was listening to the soundtrack of Harry Potter and it went onto 'Dumbledore's Farewell' and 'Lily's Theme', so yeah you can guarentee that I'm in tears right now. **

**Anyways, leave a review and tell me your thoughts.**

**Hope you enjoy x**

Revisiting his last thoughts of those he loved and cherished with everything he had one last time before the end claimed him once more, dragging him off the edge of the cliff, Oliver waited to feel the cold steel of the sword that had already taken the lives of so many, including his own and that of his own sister.

But it never came.

Blinking his eyes open to face the truth before him, all oxygen within his body was released in an instant at the sight of what was before him.

Felicity with the same sword imbedded through her gut but holding a small dagger through Ra's heart, blood flowing down his chin like it had done with him what felt like years ago.

_No…_

Gasping out her name, Oliver lurched forward just in time to catch her body as she collapsed back into his arms, her head coming to rest in the crook of his elbow as he carefully cradled the rest of her body in his lap.

"_No, no, no!_" not even feeling the tears gushing down his cheeks and falling onto the material of her shirt, Oliver shook where he kneeled, hunched over Felicity. "_Why? Why, would you do this?_"

"…I told you, I can't lose you" peering up at him with those gentle eyes Oliver had become so in tune with that they lit up his entire life in an mere passing moment, housing the ability to make the weight bearing over Oliver's being disappear in an instant. "…besides, you've already had a sword to the gut, now it's my turn…it's only fair" gasping out, struggling with the words, Felicity battled on, knowing her light wouldn't be able to save her now.

"So you're making me suffer instead?" tears obscuring his voice, Oliver could hear the desperation behind his voice but he couldn't find it within him to care.

Shaking her head, Felicity used the last parts of her strength to keep her eyes open and focused on him as she raised her hand to cup his cheek, smiling sorrowfully when he heavily leant into her touch, overlapping her skin with his own callused hand.

"We've already lost you enough Oliver, I'd rather give my entire existence knowing that you're alive and with those you love and who love you than to live another day without you" voice descending to a mere whisper, Felicity didn't have the strength to fight back the tears brimming at her eyes as she took the precious time to study the man who she loved irrevocably hold her close to his chest as he refused to let her go.

"…_no_, please Felicity…_please_, I'm begging you, don't leave me" Oliver sobbed, tears clogging up his voice entirely.

"…_there was no choice to make_…I love you, Oliver" smiling tearfully up at him, Felicity couldn't believe everything she had been a part of for the past three years.

"I love you so much" cradling the back of her neck, Oliver lowered his face to hers as he claimed her lips as his, telling her how much he loved her through the kiss. Breaking apart when the need to breathe became too much, Oliver pressed his forehead against hers in an attempt to stay as close to her as possible for as long as he could, praying somebody would come and save her.

Somebody…_anybody_….

"…Oliver…" reluctantly pulling back just so to see her face, Oliver saw more than heard her fear of leaving him behind, leaving them all behind. "…promise me…promise me you'll be happy, that you'll continue protecting the city but learn how to let somebody in so you can let them save you from yourself"

"…_please_…"

"Promise me"

"…_I promise Felicity, I promise you_ but nobody will ever make me as happy as you do" staring deep into her eyes, the endless pools of deep blue sea that he had lost himself in so many times over the years, Oliver tried to memorise them as much as possible.

Tilting her head to the side like the time they had first met, Felicity brushed her thumb beneath his eye, wiping away the tear tracks before whispering.

"_I'm happy, Oliver_"

Burrowing her head into his chest Felicity relished into the sight before her one last time before she closed her eyes.

"_…Felicity?" Felicity…" _sobbing relentlessly into her hand as it went limp against his cheek, Oliver brought her body tight against him, rocking himself back and forth as he held the love of his life in his arms.

"Ollie?" the voice of his sister cut through his mourning, the tears evident in her voice.

"She's dead" crying out the words he never wanted to say in his life, Oliver mourned for the light he would never be able to find anymore. "_Felicity's dead" _he practically screamed down the comms, the tight rein on his emotions to hell.

* * *

He couldn't sleep.

Whenever he closed his eyes, they were always there waiting for him, taunting him like a beast in a cage.

Every night she was there, screaming to be saved but always dying in his arms, his light fading with hers.

"_Oliver_"

"…I'm so tired" staring into the shadows cast down upon the night; Oliver buried himself into his pillow upon feeling warmth surround him, eyes focusing on the halo of blonde hair spread out on her side.

"Then sleep"

"I don't want to…because you'll be gone when I wake" he whispered into the air between them.

"I'll always be here Oliver….you just have to believe in me"

"I'll always believe in you Felicity"

"_Go to sleep, Oliver_" as if on command, his eyelids began fluttering closed as he made a last move towards the warmth she radiated before losing himself in the empty void of his thoughts. "…._goodbye, Felicity_"

Bolting his eyes tight when he felt warmth brush over his cold skin, sensations of temperature spiking at his nerves, he remembered the moment they shared in the hallways of the hospital on the night of Sara Diggle's birth.

He revelled in the loneliness in his life, nothing the same as it had once been to him so he struggled with social interaction, so it made it easier for him when he woke to a red pen on his bedside table atop of a note, fresh tears overtaking the old ones of last night.

_'Thank you for being my hero_.'

* * *

Shuffling on his feet before he knelt down before her grave, Oliver exhaled deeply as he laid the red rose over where she laid below him.

"You know you'd think it would be easier now, after all these years, to do this but nope, still hurts" laughing sadly at himself, Oliver slowly went down to one knee, to make himself comfortable.

"I never forgot you Felicity and I remember what I promised you that…..that night, so, I kept it. The promise and, I'm happy Felicity. I never thought I'd ever have a chance to be ever again because I thought that my happiness would always be you, since you've always been my only happy story…_my girl_. But it turns out that I've found another to call my girl, she's beautiful Felicity, and she's mine. Funny thing is, she reminds me of you all the time, the amount of time she smiles and finds the good in people even when they don't know it's there, how she slowly heals old wounds….and I owe that all to you Felicity, because of the promise I made to you, you helped me find myself again. You know I thought I'd be doing this whole thing with you…it's unexplainable really, I just wish I got to share this with you Felicity, to share a life with you. _That _would've made me happy more than anything. There was this saying you once told me, something that you remember Dumbly-something saying…that happiness can found even in the most unlikely of places if one remembers to turn on the light"

Tracing his fingers over the words engraved on her grave, Oliver smiled at his lasting memories of her that he will never forget.

_'Felicity Megan Smoak 1989-2015_

_Taken from us too young, died a hero'_

"DADDY!" turning round to face the young voice, Oliver just opened his arm before the young body of his daughter hurtled into his chest. "Daddy who is that?" softly chuckling at her abruptness, Oliver explained.

"This is Felicity Smoak, she was very close to me but she was more than a friend, for many dark years she was my light that guided me"

"She was your hero" breathing out in awe of the late woman that lay resting peacefully and her connecting to her father, she smiled up at her father in tears. "…my name is Felicity"

"Yes Lissy, you're named after a remarkable woman that would've loved to meet you, and you would've loved her" struggling to not burst out in tears, Oliver turned to glance one more time at the love of his life's grave before moving to stand. "Come on Liz, you're mother's waiting for us"

As she watches her father rise from in front of the grave, and what-he-thinks-is-subtly wipes his eyes before walking towards their car, Felicity turns her gaze towards the grave of the woman she's never met but owes her entire life to.

Shuffling forwards half a step, Felicity lays her hand on the grave in front of her, hesitating a moment before words escape her mouth.

"…hi, I'm Felicity Queen…I'm sorry I never got to meet you but my daddy tells me I would've loved you. I know that he still does even after ten years. 2015? You're the hero that saved him from Ra's al Ghul aren't you? He told me stories about you when I was younger, How there was once a beautiful princess of light adored by everyone, how she saved her kingdom form an evil sorcerer by making the biggest sacrifice she could give. You gave your light to save everybody else, to save my daddy…..thank you. He's never moved on from you, even when he smiles for me and mummy the way he does, he lights up like Rudolph when he talks about you…I know you can't and everything but do you think you can help him, I don't like it when daddy's upset, he sleeps with this red pen beside him every night….just staring at it sometimes and I don't know, I just know that he's thinking of you…my birthday's coming up soon and I just….if I had one wish, it would be for daddy to be happy again, like he was when he was with you, from all the photos he has of you in that album with me in it. I don't want anything else" smiling up at the grave before her, Felicity muffled the sobs with her hands.

"He was right you know, I would've loved to meet you" gasping when she peered up from her hands to see a beautiful blonde young woman sat cross-legged next to her on the grass, Felicity sent the young girl a smile that lit up the sky like the northern lights. "I know Oliver's hurting right now because it's nearing the anniversary of my passing but trust me Lissy when I say this to you, he doesn't need me because now he has _you_. You're his girl and always will be. I'm more than honoured to have you named after me. All I wish is that I could've known you. You're so like him, his smile, his eyes, his loyalty and bravery...you're his little hero all on your own"

"But I, I didn't do anything…not like you did" muttering the words softly to herself in disbelief, Felicity interlocked her fingers of either hand before another hand with brightly painted green nails rested atop, drawing her attention back into those two deep blue eyes once more.

"To be a hero, you don't need to commit brave actions or go battle dangerous enemies. The essence of heroism is to die so others can live, is to sacrifice to benefit another. All your life, you've been making your father smile when he didn't think he could, you may not see it but inside of you is a light brighter than any other and it burns so dazzling because of the actions you do for others. You're selfless…something that reminds me so much of your father. In life some are drawn over to the darkness because it hides parts of them they wish to hide from visible sight but you have this ability to dazzle them so much, it brightens their life so much. Oliver needs you more than you know"

"Daddy says I remind him of you"

"In some ways that's true, and I'm privileged by it. You know there's something that I can't do any more for Oliver so I'm asking you now if you can take over where I left off. Can you take care of your father for me, can you promise me that you'll always be there for him when he needs it most?" gazing up at the blonde sat beside her, little Lissy bit back on the tears welling up at how much the world had lost, how much her father had lost when Felicity Smoak died protecting what she cared for most.

"I promise you"

"Thank you"

Closing her eyes as warmth pricked at her skin as she felt the ghost of a kiss being laid upon her forehead, Felicity Queen held back her tears as much as she could as she reopened her eyes to see the blonde had disappeared from her side.

Spending one last moment sat before the memory of a hero, _her hero_, Felicity pushed up to her feet with wobbly legs as she turned and ran straight back to her father who was waiting a couple feet away from her position.

Scooping up his seven year old daughter, Oliver cast one last glance back towards the woman who had been his everything from the moment he stepped into her office with a ridiculous lie before turning and striding out of the cemetery that held almost all the memories of his family.

Resting her cheek on her father's strong shoulders, Felicity couldn't remove her gaze from the three figures that began fading into the distance.

Those three figures that held the story of her father and how he had become a hero for the city, one of them holding the story of a brother, another the story of a survivor but the last held the most precious story that there ever could be.

She held the story of how a hero came to truly lose himself in his love.

Felicity Smoak had said it was a privilege for Oliver to name his daughter after her but she was wrong, Lissy held that privilege with everything she possessed for it was the greatest gift she had ever received…to be named after the hero who had sacrificed the most valuable thing for the man she cared for most of all.

* * *

Even twenty five years later, little Lissy still honoured her hero with the promise she made to her all those years ago.

She cared for her father, watched over him from a place where his own guardian angel couldn't, until the day Oliver Queen died of a heart attack where she could care for him no further.

That day when her father, the most courageous man she had ever known was buried, Felicity gave him one last honour that she could ever bestow upon a person, the honour of being reunited with the love of his life.

Oliver Queen was buried next to Felicity Smoak twenty five years after the death that had wounded him in the worst of ways but now as she gazed upon the pair with her own daughter cuddled into her side, Felicity knew that he was happy.

That was all she ever wanted him to be.


	66. Sweet Dreams

Moaning lowly as the relentless chirping of the alarm began rousing him from his sleep, Oliver struck out a hand to blindly swat at the infuriating object in question when his hand came into contact with a firm surface before a crashing sound awakened him completely.

"…what the…" mumbling to himself as he actually took in where his blasted alarm clock was on his bedside unit only to find he'd knocked over a metal picture frame.

_He always left his alarm right there, so where was it?_

Cursing himself for not realising earlier, Oliver's eyes darted around the room, taking in where in truth he actually was, unconsciously jerking his body up into a sitting position with his legs still splayed out beneath the covers, unmoved.

_This wasn't his bedroom_.

Looking back to the bedside table, Oliver warily replaced the frame to its former resting place as he observed the image it presented.

_….that, that's not right. _

Within the frame stood a photograph of him and Felicity at the top of a mountain, his arm around her waist whilst hers wrapped around his shoulders, the both of them laughing as though nothing else in the world mattered to them.

_That hadn't been there when he went to bed last night._

As he scanned round the room, eyes skimming over the variety of portraits, selfies and photos of them in different positions, one of which including Oliver seemingly cradling a laughing Felicity in his arms while he looked down at her with a look he never thought he'd ever of given anyone before.

_He looked so in love with her, his heart in his eyes bearing down upon her with such an intensity it would've blinded him if he hadn't of been blinking so much. _

Diverting him gaze hastily to the other side of the bed, so quickly it probably would give him whiplash, Oliver could barely hold back the sharp intake of breath at the sight that met him.

There beside him like an everyday occurrence laid one Felicity Smoak.

As though having sensed his flustering thoughts and emotions rolling off him, Felicity carefully rolled over, giving him a perfect view of her swollen stomach, before hugging her right arm beneath her pillow, practically fusing it to her head as she curved her legs beneath her belly.

Frowning, she began muttering to herself, which Oliver soon realised wasn't truly towards herself but towards that of another party in particular.

"Robbie, please let mummy sleep…you can use my organs as a punch bag later" spreading her hand across the expanse of her belly, Oliver felt as though he was caught within an out-of-body experience like he wasn't truly in the scene happening in front of him, his eyes catching the faint glimmer of two rings encircling her marriage finger.

Carefully lowering himself back down to the bed again on shaky forearms, that was the exact moment Oliver finally caught onto what was happening as he glanced down at his own left hand, where a simple wedding band laid claim.

…_he and Felicity were….married and she was pregnant…..he was going to be a father. _

Making sure to replace his limbs to where they'd once laid before but this time facing Felicity, Oliver tried his best to ignore the shakiness enslaving his entire being but he couldn't fight it.

_He was living one of his most memorable dreams_…._a life with the woman he loved. _

Gradually reaching out towards Felicity's belly, Oliver watched in awe as his hand made contact with the stretched skin that covered their unborn child.

Pausing minutely when Felicity moaned quietly at his touch, Oliver couldn't help the need to connect himself truly with this moment happening in front of him, the _necessity _to make sure it was true.

Lowering his body further down the bed, Oliver dropped down so his face was right in front of her stomach. Gazing up at the woman that held probably one of his most priceless treasures within her, Oliver placed his ear over her belly and deeply inhaled before holding his breath.

_Thudump, thudump, thudump…_

The gentle strumming beat echoed within his head as Oliver swallowed a quiet sob at the pure beauty the simple sound created for him.

_A life they had created living within his wife_.

Suddenly a jolting sensation beat against his hand, his thumb beginning to caress the skin below in response.

"…your son is refusing to let me sleep Oliver" lifting his head to meet the gaze of his wife, Oliver couldn't help but shuffle himself back up to her before moving to carefully place his arm beneath her bust as he smiled down at the woman that basically held all his answers.

"So he's _my _son when he's annoying you?"

"Fine _Mr Queen_, next time you decide to expand the family, _you _can be the one to carry the member for nine months. I'd gladly step aside"

"Hold up, when _I _decide to expand the family?"

"It's your little soldiers that did this to me in the first place mister"

"And tell me, _Mrs Queen_, how on earth did that happen?" leaning over her as he gently nibbled on her left lobe as he whispered in her ear, cupping one hand on the nape of her neck. Oliver began running his hand over the top of her belly, wanting to keep some sort of contact with their baby as much as possible, his protective tendencies coming into play before he could stop them.

"…it's what happens when you let _you_ be in charge of Valentine's Day" refusing to open her eyes, Felicity continued to pretend to be annoyed at him.

"Well next time I promise to behave like a good little boy"

"Yeah I'll believe that when you stop being overprotective of every little thing I do even when I'm _not _pregnant…..and I think we both know you're far from little"

"_Watch yourself, Mrs Queen. _You're wandering into dangerous territory right now" growling low in her ear, Oliver brought her as close to his own body as possible, humming when he felt her very pregnant belly pressing against him.

"Don't worry, my hero will protect me"

Pausing for a moment to let his heart rate go back to normal once more, Oliver again whispered darkly into her ear, cherishing the shiver her caused to erupt within her body and holding the memory as close to him as it will go.

Leaning back, Oliver took full advantage of having his left hand cupping the nape of her neck to anchor her against him before pressing his lips against hers, his eyes bolting shut as every single part of their bodies were pressed tightly against each other letting him feel every aspect of her being wrapped in his embrace.

_It was heavenly_.

Everything that he'd dreamed of for so long he couldn't remember a time not fantasising about her like this. It was almost too good to be true.

Raising both her hands to wrap around him, pulling him closer, Felicity bound her arms round his neck and under his arm, along the hard planes of his muscular back.

Panting like he'd just ran a marathon, Oliver reluctantly pulled back minutely so he could see her face as clear as day, the emotions rolling over her face included, dazzling him with her radiant smile.

"_You're damn right he will_" her whispered, ignoring the breathy tone of his voice.

Releasing her slightly from his tight grasp of her body, Oliver laid back next to her, pulling her close to him so she could rest her pregnant belly on him as a cushion.

"I love you Felicity"

"I love you too, you big sap" chuckling at her response and ignoring the feeling of his heart essentially soaring at those three little words being repeated back to him like you would an everyday greeting, Oliver settled back down as Felicity shifted herself into a more comfortable position before letting sleep claim her once more, seizing the opportunity by the horns to avoid the little tyke's refusal for rest.

Taking the moment to just take in everything about Felicity, Oliver brought her hand to rest in the centre of his chest, entwining their fingers together just as she tangled their legs together.

Before he fell into the abyss alongside her, Oliver prayed for just one last dream to come true.

_Please let this be real_….

* * *

The familiar chirping of his alarm broke him from his slumber.

Oliver groaned swatting randomly at the air as he turned over and flung his arm out to the other side of the bed…_for it to fall into nothingness._

Eyes shooting open, Oliver began taking in the scene before him.

Empty bedding lay unused from the night before, his right arm lying on the exact spot where Felicity had been previously.

"_Oh God…_" muttering to himself as he withdrew his entire being from all senses, drawing his body into a tight ball before burying his face in his pillow, allowing the silent tears to fall at what truly _hadn't _been.

_He'd dreamed the entire thing_.

_She was never there_.

_They weren't married_…._she wasn't pregnant with their child_.

Felicity Smoak-Queen never existed, along with that of his son Robert Thomas Smoak-Queen.

He remembered the way they had kissed, had run their hands over the other's skin…how he had listened to their son's heartbeat from within her womb.

_He remembered when she had finally spoken those three words he had spoken to her so many times before. _

Fisting his hand around a clump of his short hair, Oliver made no move to stop the roar from emanating from deep inside him, further than anyone could see.

He'd withstood torture more times than he could ever hope to remember but _this_….this was much worse.

Not caring at spending the entirety of his morning curled up in his bed, praying for all this to be a simple nightmare and to return to that dreamland he wanted more than anything, Oliver refused to move a single muscle from where he woke, his entire heart shattering around him, crumbling into ashes as he watched on helpless to do anything for it now.

During that dream, the dark he bore upon his shoulder that he once viewed as daunting appeared as nothing but a mere shadow that she simply shined out of existence.

_Now it was like a fire, suffocating him slowly of everything he'd ever known. _The light he once knew now fading out with the sunset.

* * *

Listening to the rhythmic clanging as he climbed up the Salmon Ladder, Oliver zoning in on the sound and using it as a beat to sound out the world around him, the state was broken by a familiar clacking of high heels on the concrete, the blonde ponytail swaying with her every step as he gazed over at her, not to her knowledge.

He already knew that getting through the next few hours was crucial, proving with evidence of the ability to move on from that vulnerable state that his dream had left him in.

Over the next few hours, Oliver shouldered off the attempt to try and move on from her and what she unknowingly did to him.

* * *

As Felicity's fingers raced across the keyboard like a lightning bolt in a storm, Oliver couldn't help but stare at her from his position at the arrow-manufacturing station, his mind imagining a life he could have with her included, playing a key role in the aspect only she had full access to.

A matter he had no control of was how his mind developed this image of a child, _a son_, that possessed a shared combination of both their qualities and appearances, making him tighten his hold on the arrowhead he currently fiddled with all the more.

Gaze travelling down her body, landing on her stomach, Oliver pictured her belly swollen with another soul that he aided in the making of, something that he was part of in one of the best possible ways and how she carried part of his soul within her making her complete since she already held his heart within her embrace.

* * *

Readying himself for their mission that night, Oliver loaded up his quiver as a certain blonde shifted herself into his bubble, enclosing them both in on a secret moment housed for them only.

"Be careful"

"Always"

What she would never know was that she had given him something so powerful nothing and nobody could break through what if gifted to him, empowering him in a way that nothing else could ever accomplish.

_She gave him hope_, _a reason to fight more sentimental than anyone could ever imagine. _


	67. Morning Fluff

Moaning in relief as Felicity finally kicked off her devilish heels in the direction of the shoe rack Oliver had installed recently, moving to just dump every single thing she had been carrying on the countertop in her kitchen, finally able to take the breath she'd been longing for since the moment this day started.

Huffing in laughter at the lack of boyfriend in the main living space of her townhouse, Felicity ambled towards her bedroom doorway to see Oliver still buried beneath the covers, where she left him this morning (also known as where she left him after fighting to get out of his hold) to go to work.

_Lucky bugger._

"Oliver?" calling out from the doorway, Felicity smirked when he simply just moaned and buried his face further into her pillow on her side of the bed, the duvet shifting from the low position that gave her a brilliant unobscured view of her boyfriend's arse.

He had a habit of doing that when she wasn't there, to surround himself with her scent until she returned.

Unable to keep the smile from pushing through, Felicity took in the sight of the bed sheets covering the bed they now shared. A couple months ago she had been shopping in town when she had found an Annaliese red and black duvet set that had just called out to her the moment she'd spotted it. Oliver had fallen in love with it when he had gotten home from the foundry that night.

"Oliver" stepping closer to the bed, she couldn't help the chuckle as Oliver murmured words in his half-asleep state.

Taking a chance, Felicity neared the bed even more, taking a seat on her side of the bed and inched the duvet lower to reveal the frowning face of her boyfriend.

"Are you having fun snuggled up in there?" not bothering to mask the amusement in her voice, Felicity tilted her head to the side when one of his eyes reluctantly crept open.

"…hmmm five more minutes…"

"Oliver you've had the entire morning, isn't _that _long enough?"

As he began murmuring a bunch of gibberish to the material of her pillow, Felicity should've seen the move coming from miles away.

Arm shooting out from beneath the depths of the bedding, Oliver abruptly yanked her down on top of him as he tucked her under the covers, somehow ending the both of them up with Oliver with his head nestled underneath her chin cushioned against her shoulder.

"…too much clothing" she heard him groan before stripping her, scattering her work clothes about the room.

"_Hey, _I was going to wear those tomorrow"

"…much better" mouthing the words into her skin, Oliver bound his right arm across her stomach as he always did at night as his other arm curled beneath her pillow.

"Oliver you cannot hold me prisoner in this bed, there's work to do at the foundry. John will have your arse on the mats several times over if he knew _the vigilante of the City _was still in bed"

When her statement got no reply Felicity knew there was no hope trying to get him up, however….

Smirking, Felicity shifted all the way to the edge of the mattress about to escape out of the confines of her boyfriend's grasp when the grip tightened, yanking her back to his chest as he basically laid his body partly atop of her.

"Uh uh, not going anywhere" trying to melt into his embrace when he burrowed his face into the crook of her neck, Felicity sighed deeply before relenting.

"…you're lucky I love you"

"I know"


	68. Surprise

**Wow, it has literally been quite a few months since I last updated so apologises for that one. This week I've currently been away on holiday and yesturday I was sick, which was _fabulous _it's always an incredible feeling when you can't eat proper food without feeling like you're just going to throw it all back up, I even went in to Tescos in my PJs and slippers and unbrushed hair because I didn't care and needed to go to the toliet and we were on our way home from holiday. I felt like s*it but luckily I'm feeling better today. **

**Anyways enough about me, hope you guys like this one, don't forget to leave a review. **

**Thanks and enjoy x**

Forcefully keeping his eyes open, Oliver used as much of his concentration as he had left to focus on the road ahead of him that trailed back to the foundry and not let himself fall into the deep abyss like he so wanted to after the long and tiring mission he had just wrapped up.

"Ollie John, Laurel and I are packing it in for the night, are you okay to wrap up the last of this on your own. We're all pretty much dead on our feet" his sister's voice crackled in his ear, already telling him that they were on their way home.

"Nah, I'll wrap this up tomorrow when I actually have a full mind to use. I think it might be an early night for me too" responding sluggishly, Oliver slowed to a complete halt in his typical parking place in the lair.

Clicking off the comms and removing the piece of tech from his ear completely, Oliver just had enough strength to change himself out of his suit and into his casual clothes before turning to lean heavily against Felicity's desk only now realising her stuff was still there. Frowning, he began looking round the lair to see if she was still working on something at the foundry only to see her familiar form curled up on the cot they typically used in events where the team couldn't make it home for some reason or other like it not being safe for them, or in Oliver's case using it for emergency naps since he had such a comfortable bed back home with a warm girlfriend to curl himself up to but it seemed that part wasn't in effect tonight.

Huffing in amusement at home similar they both were in thoughts, Oliver closed his eyes for a brief moment before shuffling himself forward and compelling his exhausted body to carry him a few more steps to the cot since he was far too tired to wake her up and take them both home.

Exhaling deeply as he settled himself in behind her, Oliver sighed in relief at the body warmth radiating through her body and into his and he curled himself up around her, taking up his general position as the big spoon.

Not having to wait too long, Oliver soon dropped off into an easy sleep with his arm thrown over his girlfriend's waist.

...

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

At the abrupt sound of her alarm on her tablet going off within close proximity to her ear, she couldn't help but wake with a start to the noise, her body lurching herself off the bed and almost hitting the floor if it wasn't for a strong arm wrapping round her waist tightly and dragging her back up.

"No you don't, you're staying in bed" mumbling as yanked her to him again and rolled them both over so she faced the wall, Felicity gave up any pretence she might've had and snuggled back into him.

"Wake me up in 50 years"

Trying his best to ignore the sharp screeching of her alarm, even he went past his limit and didn't make any ounce of fight against the growl that emerged from his throat.

"I'm going to arrow that thing in a minute" eyes still closed, Oliver buried his face further into blonde mess of curls that covered her side of the pillow in an attempt to shut out the reeking sound of that blasted piece of tech.

"No hurting my baby" Felicity groaned, tightening her hold of Oliver so he didn't hurt her tablet with any of his arrows.

When the sound completely shut out, leaving the entire foundry in a blissful silence Oliver sighed in relief and almost joined his girlfriend in returning to the oblivion she was currently floating in when the clearing of a throat sounded in the alarm's place. Catching his attention and causing him to reluctantly open his eyes and take in the sight, he was greeted with the sight of one John Diggle with his trunk-like arms crossed over his chest with a smirk in place at the couple cuddled up beneath the blanket on the cot.

"You two do realise you have a perfectly good apartment waiting for you, right?" that voice he spoke with always got Oliver shooting him with a glare whenever he was faced with it, the one laced with amusement and mostly used along with a side order of sarcasm.

"…too far, too much effort" Felicity burrowed herself further, _if that was even possible_, in Oliver's chest which surprised him he thought she was asleep with how still she had become.

Internally shrugging at any complaints John may throw at him about his stealth and ninja-senses, _as Felicity liked to call them_, being off and somebody being able to take full advantage of their vulnerability Oliver simply just turned himself fully into Felicity, tucking her head beneath his chin as Diggle snorted at how much like rebellious teens they were acting like.

"Come on I'll drive the pair of you back to your place, I'm just thankful you're both dressed" he exhaled on a breath as Oliver kicked the blanket off the both of them, groaning as he forced his body to his feet thinking the sooner they got this over with the sooner he could get both himself and Felicity back to their bed and the swifter he could get his arms round her once more and join her in the leagues of sleep that seemed so compelling within the moment he lived in.

However, the strength only seemed short-lived when Felicity's arm bound itself back round his stomach and tugged him back down groaning in refusal to let him leave, not bothering to fight he settled back down next to her.

"Oliver Queen don't make me pour ice cold water over your head, I'm more than tempted believe me" cursing at how persistent his teammate was, Oliver lowly growled at having to leave Felicity's warmth.

"Fine, I'm up…I'm goddamn up" not giving a hoot as he tugged his boots over his bare feet, only just remembering today was the day he forgot to get around to doing laundry, Oliver pushed to his feet stumbling momentarily finding his balance in the midst of sleep and turned back to his girlfriend flat out refusing to get up. "…Felicity, get up"

"Arrow voice doesn't work Al-Darth Vader"

"I don't need to be an assassin to get your arse out of bed" waiting for a few seconds to see if she would actually get up, he wasn't at all surprised when she turned her back to him huffing, giving over to sleep once more. "Fine, have it your way"

Grasping gently but firmly at her upper arms to sit her up in the cot, he didn't wait for her permission and lifted her up over his shoulder, letting out a quick yawn whilst doing so.

"…_noooo…_I'm kicking your arse later" snatching up her tablet as he passed the nearby desk, Diggle just shook his head at the couple before switching the lights off and picking up Felicity's heels along the way, just knowing she was going to need them tomorrow.

...

Switching off the ignition, Diggle turned round in his seat to find the two honeymooners asleep against each other in the backseat. Just taking in the moment as it was, raw and unedited by anyone, he saw how much love and trust they held for each other and just how much they relied on the other, falling back on the other's strength when they needed it most.

How long he had waited for Oliver to get his head out of his arse and actually _be with her _and for Felicity to wait that little bit longer for him to actually start living and give him a chance for him to fight for her, _for them_, this moment was like sheer bliss.

It was just then that he remembered the moment Oliver had first looked at Felicity as somebody other than tech support, the night she was attacked by the Dodger and had a bomb collar placed round her neck, it was that night when she had walked through those doors in that gold dress with her hair curled and contacts in that he knew got Oliver's heart beating.

Waiting for one more moment before deciding to get out his phone and snap a picture of the two, _he could use it as blackmail against Oliver to show he wasn't as good as he used to be at knowing his surroundings but also he could hopefully use it at their wedding_, before moving on to wake them both before he ended up having them both in a deep sleep in the back of his car.

"3 seconds before I hit the pedal and kick you both to the curb" watching the pair in the interior mirror, he couldn't help the smirk at the grumble Oliver directed at him as they both stumbled out and towards the loft.

As his gaze followed them both to the door, where they disappeared into, all John saw was the brother he always saw in Oliver, the one he thought he had lost because of a line being crossed and a fear being woven from the darkness, and the woman he always considered a sister both finally happy.

That was the moment he truly let out a breath for the two of them, they both had what they deserved.


	69. Alternate

**Just found this sitting there so decided to upload it, why not. **

**Don't forget to leave a review and tell me your thoughts.**

**Thanks and enjoy! x**

"Come on ladies you're almost there" the lady's voice encouraged from within the depths of her TV "and 10"

"…and 5" grunted as she collapsed back against her yoga mat, Felicity thrust both her fists in the air "yes"

Reluctantly pushing to her feet, she grabbed for the remote and switched off the program she usually woke herself up with every morning, it probably wasn't what her vigilante team typically started off with in the mornings but screw it, it was a good way to wake herself up before heading off to work.

Wandering off into her bathroom to begin her morning routine, initially brushing her teeth before anything, the minty taste her toothpaste left in her mouth combined with her breakfast was something that seemed particularly refreshing.

As a knock sounded off against her front door, Felicity rolled her eyes at her neighbour's obvious distaste for not being able to take 'no' for an answer as she again asked her about her cat last night before she managed to duck into her townhouse.

"Mrs Fernandes, I've already told you, I haven't seen your-" hand already grabbing for the door handle, she was ready to punctuate the ending off her statement with flinging her door open, not caring if her toothbrush was still in motion she'd seen worse things from her early in the mornings and it's her own damn fault too. "-_cat_" However, it seemed the world was seemingly against her this morning as instead of a small aging old woman stood a tall, not-dark but still handsome man known as Oliver Queen in his typical day-to-day attire.

"I haven't seen them either but then again I don't really spend a lot of time in this neighbourhood, maybe up a tree somewhere or hunting small furry creatures"

At a loss for breath at her former boss and current borderline _just _friend standing outside her door, Felicity pushed everything to the side of her mouth as her body seemed to forget how to move.

"_Oliver, _what are you doing here?" remembering how to move, Felicity stepped to the side, opening her door a little wider to let him pass and never once broke eye contact with the muscular planes of his back through his jacket.

"Well I was thinking last night since I couldn't sleep, I need more types of arrows than the ones I've already got and I was hoping you might be able to help come up with some ideas" as Oliver turned to look at her still in her purple tank top and navy nesting doll print flannel PJ bottoms with a pointed look expecting her to begin rambling or something to break the awkward silence, she couldn't stop blinking at him in amazement that this was even happening.

"I haven't even looked at a cup of coffee yet" inhaling sharply and striding off in the direction of her sink, Felicity spat out the remnants of her toothpaste and forwent typically gurgling a cup of water down for just swallowing it down before turning her attention back to Oliver who stood uncomfortably in her living room, his nervousness showing through the motion of shifting to either foot and doing that finger thing he did when he didn't have his bow in-hand. "So you want to discuss new ideas for arrows then?"

"Yes basically that, I mean I could just come back later if you want, when you're more…conscious?"

"Nah, might as well do it now since you've been up all night and all, I'm pretty much as awake as I'm going to get today" passing him to snatch up her tablet from where she'd placed it on charge throughout the night, Felicity tucked in her foot beneath her as she settled down on the far cushion of her couch, leaving plenty of room for Oliver. "So what are your ideas then?"

"Well I was thinking mainly about the first year that you joined me and Diggle, you remember that mission when we had to get into Merlyn Global? Well the fact that we had to smuggle you in just so you could get directly in range with their system I was thinking maybe an arrow where I could give you remote access without putting you in harm's way"

"That…was an interesting time, when I first discovered my fear of heights….fun times. But yeah, it sounds like a good idea that we could use a lot and it'll be much faster" not overthinking how close Oliver sat to her, their knees just brushing, Felicity's concentration was mainly on her screen.

…..

Glancing up at the time displayed on her tablet, she paused momentarily before continuing to type out all of Oliver's ideas for a range of different types of arrows.

"Felicity?" one of the things Oliver and her had strangely developed is the sense to know exactly what the other was meaning without having to say the words, so even if it hadn't said the words she knew exactly that he meant to ask why she hesitated before brushing it off and continuing.

"Just spotted what the time was, time really does fly when you're having fun. I mean not the fun like sexual fun, _not that wouldn't be fun_ but still not that kind of fun and-" cutting off her sentence when she heard a distinct snorting sound coming from the man beside her, diverting her gaze to the man in question, Felicity couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at him trying his best to hide his laughter behind his hand but failing in the process.

"Just remember that you're the one that wanted to do this whole brainstorming thing early in the morning, so welcome to the land of my mind in the morning, you got yourself into this so not my fault" throwing another glance his way from the corner of her eye, Felicity reached out and took in his vulnerable state and pushed him off balance so he went crumbling to the side, his head falling to the comfort of the cushioned couch arm.

"Felicity!" smirking at the offence in his voice that would've probably stood stronger if it wasn't mostly drowned out by his laughter, Felicity shrugged while throwing his another glance while not bothering to hide her amusement in any way, shape or form, to which he glared at.

Just when he was about to make a move on the concept of his revenge, the sound of a knock reverberated throughout her living room and bailed her out of having to find out just what Oliver had planned for her.

"Saved by the knock Smoak"

"The Universe loves me" stepping over his conveniently placed legs, to which she threw a glare at him that only prompted him to shrug in forged innocence, Felicity didn't even look through her spy hole before throwing her door open to see her boss currently standing in front of her decked out in a smart looking suit, ready to go with a smile being thrown her way before stepping in.

"Ray? What are you-?" staring beseechingly at the back of the man who had basically just invited himself in, Oliver raised an eyebrow at him then at her, Felicity meeting his gaze with a shrug before looking back to the man in question.

"Nice place you got here, oh hi Mr. Queen, Oliver, can I call you Oliver? Anyways, so it occurred to me this morning what's the one thing QC have but we don't use to its maximum potential?"

"…a doorbell?" the deadpan answer fished out a smile from the man still sat on her couch, who hid it almost instantly but not before he threw her a look.

"Have you heard of a process called cogeneration?" at her empty look directed at him, Ray continued "well cogeneration is-"

Rolling her eyes, she finished off his definition "The repurposing of waste heat given off by electricity production"

"Exactly. It's a principle of thermodynamic efficiency, which occurred to me could be applied to a building which generates over 240,000 watts of electricity. Like Queen Consolidated, so I-" before Ray could finish off the rest of his sentence, yet another knock sounded, prompting Felicity to huff in frustration then turning back to the door once more to fling it open.

"Will hold that thought!" throwing over her shoulder before her eyes set on the figure of-

As Felicity felt every part of her body drop in shock, the woman in front of her gazed upon her before throwing her arm in the air and screaming, bobbing up and down where she stood. Arms being thrown around her neck, Felicity body refused to move, staring ahead in absolute shock horror at the woman in a very blue showy cocktail dress.

"Oh my beautiful girl" internally swearing her ears were about to burst, she forced herself not to wince at the high pitched sound echoing through her head.

"Huh, very friendly with your neighbours I see"

"Mum?" words finally escaping her, not once did Felicity even acknowledge either man still sitting and standing behind her.

"Mum?" she could hear Ray's voice behind her commenting on the scene playing out in front of him but not a word from the man still sat frozen on her couch.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you…for a visit. Look, look, look, look…." Moving to pull her phone out of, _somewhere she really didn't want to know_, Felicity viewed the message her mum had in fact typed out still on-screen "…didn't you get my text?"

"Mum to send a text, you actually have to press send. On the text"

"Oh okay, well not a big deal I'll do it right now" hearing her mother's distinct ringtone sounding from within her bag she had already set up from last night, a habit she had developed since she was a kid so she didn't forget anything, Felicity slowly moved to the counter to her bag and scooped out her phone while her mum got a sense of just what the scene in front of her held.

"Are you adopted?" shouldering off Ray's comment, she basically hid herself behind his figure, praying to anyone who was listening to get her out of here as she replied with a brief noise in confirmation.

"Oh! I'm so sorry; I didn't know you had people _staying over_"

"Oh they're not staying over, we're not… I'm not-" Felicity remarked while gesturing in mid-air with her hands to try and shove the correct words to defile the current predicament "this is my boss and Oliver's my former boss"

"Hi it's a pleasure to meet you Ms. Smoak" Ray introduced while Oliver apparently opted to remain out of the conversation.

"Hi you can call me Donna"  
"…mum" looking on in horror at the scene befolding before her, Felicity collided her back up against her shelving unit atop the counters in her mini-kitchen staring ahead in horror.

"You can call me Ray"

"Oh my God, _Palmer_, you're that watch guy"

"We like to call them smart wearables"

"I bought one of your watches! Look!" shoving her arm with the watch in question right in front of his face, Felicity closed her eyes hoping she would be put out of her mercy. "See? Felicity here thinks I don't pay attention to all her tech-y things" once the conversation diverted to her momentarily, Felicity used that to get her body moving as the two began talking about his products. Moving to the wall near the kitchen entrance, Felicity placed her head against the surface before beginning to bang her head against the wall murmuring 'please say this isn't happening', which apparently didn't disturb the two still yattering.

Feeling a shift in the air around her, her head suddenly came into contact with a hand she already knew belonged to Oliver.

When the conversation continued to echo on behind her, Felicity reached for his hand and slid it out of the way but instead of hitting the wall like she expected she came into contact with his chest as his arms came up to wrap loosely around her waist.

Pausing before pulling back, Felicity glanced up at him before whispering so only he could hear her.

"Please just knock me out" which ignited another silent smile to erupt across his face, to which he simply shook in response to her question.

Looking back over the pair _still _talking about watches and Ray's rich life, Felicity sagged against Oliver's strong chest before once again meeting his gaze.

"If I go missing in the next few days, I regret nothing" she deadpanned, which just got a rose eyebrow in response.

"So this watch basically replaces your computer but you know what, it's yours"

"If you went missing a lot of people will be very angry and most likely be tearing apart this City and others in order to find you" biting back the shiver, Felicity pointedly placed her head hard in the middle of his sternum.

"That takes the fun out of it"

"Well I'll just let the two of you catch up and nice seeing you again Oliver, and Felicity let me know what you think about those cogeneration numbers, and Donna, hope to see you again soon" pulling herself together with a huff, Felicity moved towards her front door passing the napkin with Ray's calculations scribbled down on her coffee table, to shut the door behind him.

"Well, don't count on it. She'll probably be really busy-" placing her back against the shut door, she slid down until her butt was firmly on the ground with her knees folded up against her "-planning my funeral after I die of embarrassment"

Grasping hold of the hand that suddenly entered her line of sight, Felicity let Oliver pull her up to her feet with pure ease, giving her a gentle look of support before they both turned to her mother.


	70. My Hero

Practically impaling herself with her elongated nails to distract herself from the overwhelming urge to sucker punch this grade A arsehole in the face several times over, Felicity rapidly doused her mental fires that raged in her mind at the sheer amount of time this bugger had spent with his eyes fused to her chest.

But seriously if he really thought that just by (attempting) trying to hide his dead-set gaze behind his glass of scotch meant that she wouldn't notice then sheesh she was the Queen of Sheba.

_Why, oh why, did she think this date would be a good idea? She could've been at home by now, cuddled up on her couch probably slowly lulling into a gentle sleep while watching one of her favourite films with a pint of mint choc chip on the coffee table. Somewhere where she actually _wanted _to be right now but _no_, she had to convince herself to go on a date with some Creepy McCreeperson (10/10 for the name) that she used to go to high school with. _

Straightening her back whilst reaching for her clutch hanging over the back of her chair, Felicity politely excused herself, with an extra effort to remind herself to walk and not go sprinting for the bathroom.

Hunching herself over onto the sink in front of her, she finally released the deep breath she had wanted to get out about 5 hours ago.

Placing her clutch on the side units below one of the mirrors, Felicity began diving into the depths of her clutch for her phone where a hopeful escape lie waiting for just the right words.

Holding up her phone to her ear, Felicity couldn't help the way she began pacing in front of the sinks, her thoughts praying to all available gods that he would pick up.

"Felicity, what's up? I thought you were home for the night, you know with the day off and all?" Oliver grunted, obviously just finishing up with his workout, _God her thoughts were definitely not helping her on this_.

"Well I decided to try meeting up with this guy that I went to high school with and welllll….big mistake on my part"

"Wait, hold up. What do you mean big mistake on your part? Did he hurt you?" even from over the phone, the way he shifted into that persona of if-you-touch-one-of-my-partners-I'll-rip-your-goddamn-arm-off which didn't hesitate in making her smile at his protectiveness.

"No, he hasn't hurt me. In fact I kind of want to hurt him. I've been on the date for probably, like….30 minutes maybe, and the entire duration of that time, his eyes have been glued to my chest. I'll end up probably doing something drastic to escape him if I have to. So I was wondering if you could, I don't know, work your magic and free me from this poor excuse of a date? He's honestly making me want to gag. I've tried the bathroom trick, no windows, the person calling with important matter, he reminded me of when I said my night's cleared with everyone safe or something along those lines. Basically getting straight to the point, _please help me_"

"I'll be there in 10"

"You spent my rambling time tracking my phone and driving to my location didn't you?"

"You know me far too well, hold on. Oh and Felicity, whatever happens in that restaurant, follow my lead" and with that Oliver ended the call, forcing her to face her date once more.

Reluctantly returning to her seat once more, Geoffrey (maybe, or something beginning with G or was is J) didn't hesitate in resuming his staring at everything besides her face.

...

Not having to turn around to feel the aura of the room change from suffocating to comforting, Felicity just knew Oliver was currently closing in on her table.

"Felicity, _God_ I've been searching for you since Sunday" Oliver breathing out, completely ignoring her so-called date.

"Excuse me but who are you?" Geoffrey_ or something_ questioned, finally removing his eyes from her- _thank God_ -and causing Oliver to swing his deathly gaze to him.

"…her boyfriend, who the hell are you?" Oliver remarked, his tone cutting straight into the posture of the stick of a man sitting opposite her.

"Geoffrey Higgins, I wasn't aware that you had a boyfriend Felicity" _huh she got it right. _

Not once removing her eyes from the side of Oliver's head, whose eyes were solely planted on good old Geoff, Felicity caught the gist of the whole scheme Oliver had created.

"Well from what I knew, we were on a 'break' and since I haven't heard anything recently I just figured you'd moved on" replying with a condescending smile, Felicity's gaze joined Oliver's as he whipped his head round to face her.

"Babe, look I know you're proving a point to me but I'm not giving up on us. I don't want to see other people, I want you and I will fight whatever battles I have to if that means getting you back" something in Oliver's gaze screamed an element of truth that made her breath hitch before she could stop it but luckily thanks to Geoff, she didn't have to formulate a response.

"Well look here buddy Felicity here is on a date with me, _not you_ so don't you think that's saying something?" Geoff suddenly pushed to his feet, visibly challenging Oliver for her.

_Oh now this is going to be good_.

"…is that so _buddy_? Tell me, then why does Felicity look like she's about to fall asleep on this supposed 'date'? You couldn't even keep her interested if you were holding the world's cutest pup in your arms"

"A _puppy_…that's what you're going with? Not wafts of money instead?"

"What, do you think I'm some kind of gold-digger or something?" not doing a single thing to put a pause to her incredulous tone, Felicity finally began enjoying her date after what felt like a millennium. "You know what, this date is over. Sorry I'm not some gold-digging whore you apparently expected me to be" snatching her clutch from the chair, Felicity turned her chin up at the gobsmacked boy still standing opposite her, something she was sure he was not expecting.

Not doing a single thing against Oliver grabbing hold of the front of the boy's shirt and dipping into the Arrow voice without the modulator.

"I'd be careful with the words that come out your mouth, _boy_. You dare talk about my girlfriend like that again and trust me, I'll make you regret it" whispering the last of his threat into his ear to not cause that much more of a scene, Oliver dropped the kid back into his seat again, thrusting him into a nearby man sat behind him with his back facing Geoff.

Turning and striding off to catch Felicity, Oliver hardly hesitating before slipping an arm round her waist and staking a claim.

The moment they turned the corner Felicity couldn't help the snort of amusement that escaped her, slapping her hand over her mouth to not allow anything else to slip out, however it only seemed to heighten Oliver's own amusement all the more.

"Nice to meet you boyfriend since Sunday" Felicity laughed out, which only aided to the amusement. "Thank you for the rescue, _my hero_"

"No problem and nice following my lead in there, even from those five minutes with him, I'm glad to get you out of there. Why did you even go on a date with him to begin with?"

"I was bored, he…_oh god, never again_" hugging her arms round her body at the thought of his beady little eyes running over her, the goosebumps from the entire night erupted across her skin.

"It was really that bad?"

"He was stripping me in his mind, do you have any idea how much I wanted to knee him in the nuts?"

"Here" removing his jacket, Oliver didn't wait for a response before wrapping the material round her shoulders, encasing her within his scent.

"Thanks Oliver, you again proved I can always trust you. Now, I have another date to get to" smirking at his slightly enraged look, Felicity finished "-with my couch and one that I will not be leaving until this entire weekend is over. Don't worry Oliver, you can take a deep breath now, you don't have to go hulk on anyone else tonight"

"Oh funny"

"Aren't I just?" breathing in delight, Felicity tilted her head to the side whilst slightly looking towards the night sky.

"Well I've got the rest of my weekend free, so does that date with your couch extend to any plus ones?"

"Now that depends"

"On what?" pausing in his steps, Oliver turned a slight frown her way.

"Oliver Queen, what is your favourite flavour of ice cream? But careful, this may decide your entire fate….of a weekend"

"This is dangerous territory Felicity, are you really asking me to cross into it?"

"I know, I'm sorry but it has to be done"

"…I guess it'll have to be chocolate" after a moment's hesitation, they both burst out laughing before stopping at Oliver's Ducati. "I'll make you a deal Smoak, you let me drive you back to your place and maybe next weekend I'll retrieve your certain bottle of a promised red wine"

"Oh….now that, is just….it's a tough decision to make"

"Tick tock"

"You're not Ke$ha"

"Ha, ha, ha"

"Fine, I accept your deal but I'm keeping the jacket"

"Are you going to make a habit of stealing my things?"

"Maybe…for now though, it's just the jacket"

Smiling at his partner, Oliver swung his leg over the seat before helping Felicity settle in against his back, the warmth of her figure a comforting pressure against his back.

As he made his way towards her house, Oliver internally chuckled, if only.

_If only she knew that it wasn't just the jacket she had stolen._


	71. A Clash of Past and Present

Running his roughened hands over her smooth skin that was almost innocent to his touch, an aspect he would never stop loving, Oliver gazed over the outline of her figure laid out beside him on her stomach, his eyes targeted the puckered skin on the back of her right shoulder where Sara had stitched up the skin from the incident with the Clock King.

"How is it whenever we do this, you always end up going straight to that particular place on my back?" Felicity murmured into her pillow, reluctantly lifting one of her eyelids and breaking the trance Oliver had unconsciously put himself into, remembering that night in his mind continuously.

"Because I hate the fact that you got hurt…even if you did save Sara that night, I never wanted you to get hurt" finally returning his gaze to that of his girlfriend's, Oliver rested his head down beside hers, his fingers never leaving that mark on her back.

"Sometimes you'll have to, doesn't matter if you like it or not if the situation calls for it, then sometimes you don't have another choice. At least Sara made the stitching as small as possible. Besides when I have to stitch you up, I always find myself having to hold my breath so I don't vomit or something"

"Still, when it happens to me it's not that bad. I lost my innocence the moment that boat when down, you on the other hand, I never want to have to stitch you up or have anyone else stitch up this skin that's supposed to stay in one complete piece and not fractured like mine…I will do whatever I have to keep it that way as well Felicity" ending his remark with a chaste kiss, Oliver settled himself back beneath her once more, letting her settle against his side before he wrapped his arms tight around her, one hand going back to that mark on her back and tracing the feel of it.

That night would never quit giving him nightmares, having to listen to the comms as Felicity screamed out Sara's name before a gunshot sounded was something he thought only the darkest parts of his mind could conjure up.

When he and Diggle had run into that room to see Sara hovering over his girl as she gritted her teeth when Sara peeled away the material of her black leather jacket, Oliver hadn't felt his body moving until he had been right by her side, his hand going to cup her face, needing to solidify her well-being personally rather than have someone else tell him she was okay was the only thing that had been running through his veins, that and deep rooted fury.

Not once had he hesitated in that moment after Sara had removed her jacket with scooping Felicity up into his arms and carrying her back to the foundry to get her wound cleaned and stitched up, the fact of her being in his arms anchored him to reality then.

"Stop blaming yourself Oliver…you couldn't have done anything to prevent it from happening. I chose my own fate and I knew when I saw the man duck out from behind the shelving unit what would inevitably happen if I went through with the action I did. But I couldn't let Sara die in that moment, I made my own choice Oliver…at least it wasn't worse" her gentle voice just made his arms flex around her, pulling her further up his body so her face could bury into the side of his neck as he buried his own in her hair, breathing in her scent he had become so accustomed to over the course of months they had been away and returned to Star City.

"Still don't like it" grumbling into her hair, half his words being muffled as he shut his eyes to fully take in every emotion encasing him in that moment.

"I know you don't babe" tangling their legs together, Felicity just proceeded to hold her boyfriend as he tightened his hold around her a margin more, leaving practically no space between them, knowing right now he just needed the reassurance of her being there.

That was the only thing she could offer him right now, she couldn't find herself to promise him that it would never happen again because they both knew that wasn't true…they never knew what was going to happen to either one of them but something they could promise was that they'll always be there for one another.

That was the next best thing.


	72. Ricochet

**So before anything I just wanted to thank everyone that's reviewed this series, they really do light up my day when I read them. Also since it's upcoming for Christmas feel free to send in any Christmas-related prompts you want, let's see how many I can upload this year x**

**Please leave a review and tell me your thoughts. **

**Thanks and enjoy x**

"Felicity make sure you don't overwork yourself, you know what you're like!" her coach, John Diggle, shouted from his position across the floor stood watching the juniors warm up on the beams, his eyes flitting back to her once in a while since he knew her just far too well.

Murmuring out an unintelligible response as she focused her efforts on not overbalancing her handstand atop of the bars, Felicity performed her dismount, sticking the landing as she wanted and unconsciously thrusting her hand up in the air with her glee at finally pulling off her dismount, her own habit diverting her ending from one of perfection.

Ever since she was younger all she's ever dreamt of was becoming a gymnast for the power, the strength, the beauty, the grace they held within their movements were like artwork that always left her in awe so she had been dead set on that target in her future, envisaging herself as a Olympic gymnast and after 10 years she was well on her way to becoming everything she had ever wanted to be.

Since she could remember she's always had the undying support of the Queen family, since she had become one of Oliver Queen's best friends when they had met at the park and never really left one another's lives at all and with befriending the older brother of the family came the event of playing house and Disney Princesses with Thea Queen, the little troublemaker they all deemed 'Speedy', the same one that had been inspired from Felicity's love of gymnastics and joined in on the passion along with Laurel also.

Never in her life could she ever have possibly imagined growing up without them by her side, now she, Oliver, Tommy, Laurel and the rest of her friends; Barry, Iris, Caitlin, Cisco, Sara and Nyssa were attending college together.

_Laurel._

Don't get her wrong, it's not that she completely hates the girl but there's something about her that almost always makes her insides twist whenever they're in one another's presence, her gut feelings going overtime. It's nothing to do with the fact that she's Oliver's girlfriend of quite a number of years _(even if they are on/off all the time, so many times she's sure it's going to give her whiplash) _since she certain that she doesn't have any of _those _feelings for her best friend. Nope, no way, _nada…._

She can't anyways, it'll ruin her entire relationship with him and she definitely doesn't want that happening since they've been friends since she initially began learning gymnastics.

Shaking herself out of her thoughts before she ends up crashing and burning, she gave her floor routine one more solid run through before hitting the shower.

There was something about having the _lovely _smell of sweat and chalk from her early morning workouts masking her body throughout the day at college that didn't really seem particularly _pleasant_.

….

Her typical college day wasn't at all bad, going through her day-to-day lessons then break, lunch and whatnot _(daydreaming about new moves she could be throwing into her routines that would up her points in the final judgements in competitions) _before she could escape and go home for a couple hours before she returned back to the gym once more to put in more hours of training wasn't what most college students experience, granted, but it didn't weigh down on her too heavily.

I guess you could call it a routine she had gotten used to, all the hours of gymnastics training that would generally leave most people exhausted, weary to the bone.

Prepping her bag with last minute aspects, like her phone for one, before she left for the gym the sound of the ringtone she had set for Tommy sounded, piercing into her bubble and diverting her attention to the device shrieking on material of her duvet.

"Tommy? What's up?" already freezing in her steps, Felicity took in his panic-set breathing, not needing to be a genius to figure something's up. "What happened?"

_"It's Thea, she's in Starling General. I'm already on my way to you, stay where you are I'm picking you up" _

"Oh God, Tommy what happened?"

_"I don't know for sure, Ollie just rung me freaking out saying that she was in hospital but didn't specify on what had happened to her but I think it may have something to do with the gym, she's always there at this time of day"_

….

Once Tommy had picked her up and taken her straight to Starling General without even a moment's clips in his stride, Felicity's body began feeling like an alternate universe as she took in everything around her.

Not needing to guess where Oliver was when she didn't see him in the waiting room, Felicity collapsed back into her chair before lurching to her feet and pacing in front of Diggle, Laurel, Tommy and Roy, a habit she had created since she's used to always moving _well apart from when she's sleeping_.

It seemed forever they had all been waiting before Oliver finally made an appearance with an update about Thea, she had pushed herself too far while at the gym in a move that she wasn't ready for at all and ended up knocking herself out cold, injuring herself in the process with a broken arm and a severely bruised leg rendering her unable to engage in any physical activity for at least 3 months.

_At least she wasn't hurt any more than she was, it could've been worse_.

Those were the words she kept telling herself mentally as her thoughts reminded her of the reason entirely on why Thea had initially joined up to the gym, it had been on her. She didn't tell anyone but she knew it in her bones, the blame was going to be dealt in her direction at some point but the distinguishing time was the mystery of it entirely.

_It was just a matter of time_.

….

College, for some reason, felt different the moment her foot passed the doorframe of the building but she couldn't put her finger on the reason behind it.

Moving in strides towards her locker she was a few more feet from her destination before a hand firmly gripped her left arm below her elbow and yanked her into the janitor's closet. Door closing behind her, Felicity spun round to face the person only to pause when none other than Oliver Queen stood silently seething in front of her.

_What the hell?_

"Oliver, what-"

"Why the fuck did you do it to her? To Thea, who's supposed to be like a sister to you, somebody that has considered you her idol and someone you've been there for since the moment we became friends so answer the _goddamn question_?!" just taking a second to take in the sight of his facial expression and body language, Felicity knew he wasn't messing around and he was already blaming her for what happened to Thea.

"What the hell are you on about? I never did anything to Thea and I especially did _not _end up putting her into the hospital the other day! The fact that you even think that I could even do something like to her is basically sucker punching me in the face right now" matching her anger to his, and even rising up a few more decibels than him, Felicity bit back, unconsciously taking a defensive stance for her own protection.

"Oh really, then tell me why Laurel told me last night that _you're _the reason my little sister in hospital _unconscious _right now?!" growling the words out, Oliver threateningly stepped even more into her personal space.

"Laurel told you _I _did that? I didn't and I never would even consider it" stomaching his refusal to accept the truth in her words, Felicity already knew his thoughts. "You don't even believe me right now? Is that it? You trust Laurel more than you do the person who has been there for you in more ways than one since we were six years old!"

"Yes I do because Laurel is my girlfriend, the woman that I'm most likely going to be spending the rest of my life with so when it comes down to it, if she says you did it then I believe her. So hear me now Felicity, we are _done_. Stay the hell away from my family and especially stay the hell away from my little sister. You are nothing to me anymore, nothing more than a faded memory"

Before she could even move to defend herself, Oliver turned away from her and stormed out of the closet, adding a last effect of slamming the door in her face, metaphorically shutting the door of their friendship, leaving Felicity's heart pounding in her chest as the words slowly seeped in.

_You mean nothing to me anymore. _

Not even feeling her knees give out from beneath herself, Felicity just sat there with her back against the far wall of the room as the bell for class rung out.

….

She couldn't really deem just how long had passed between the two moments of Oliver and her friendship being shot down and Felicity finally getting her legs to work and carrying herself off to registration but however long it had been, it didn't feel long enough than it felt to her.

Collapsing in her seat she had basically owned since the beginning of college, Felicity didn't even register her friends trying to talk to her, trying to break through the haze in which she had put herself in.

Barry, Iris, Caitlin, Cisco, Sara and Nyssa had been the friends she had made during the year she had been at Starling High, however different they all may be they all shared the same passions that ineffectively originally drove them together as a group. They weren't friends that she shared with Oliver and Tommy since there were aspects of her life that didn't at all entwine with his own and for that fact she would never know how thankful she was.

Even if Sara was Laurel's younger sister, the two Lance's didn't get along at all and so when Sara began swinging the curve and started seeing Nyssa on a more intimate scale instead of standard friendship it was Felicity that accepted the curveball which Laurel hadn't get stomached, outing her sister to the questions of her family that had gotten more mild since the days passed, now the only thing they shared was their last name.

In the end it was Iris' voice that broke through that exterior Felicity had unknowingly put up around herself, but the best part about Felicity and Iris' friendship was that they never had to say a word to one another to know what the other was thinking. That superpower came in handy more frequently than the two basically-sisters would care to admit.

Without even speaking a word about the matter, both Iris and Felicity left the classroom as the bell rung out through the building, heading towards the train station, not needing to ask one another where their destination was.

Iris is the friend that she had met before the year had even begun when she had met Oliver at Queen Consolidated, bumping into Barry in the doing so and sparking the start of a magnificent friendship and leading her on to start a friendship with the 'Central City lot' as she had deemed them upon first meeting them as a joke that never really ended.

Barry and Iris lived with Iris' father Joe and they had all welcomed Felicity into their household and family with open arms and never released their grip on her, so when Joe spotted Iris basically wrapped around the young blonde who had tears brimming in her eyes as her mind had begun its torture on her he didn't resist bringing the young woman into the circle of his arms and braced them both for the onslaught of tears she released, taking up the position of the fatherly figure she had been seeking since an early age.

Spending the rest of that day on Iris' living room couch curled up beneath the purple fluffy throw blanket she basically steals every time she goes round their house beside Iris who had become a human burrito with Barry as their living pillow. His left shoulder being taken up by Iris and his right thigh being used by Felicity, their hot chocolates sitting on the coffee table as a non-stop movie marathon played before them.

They all knew that soon Felicity would force herself to think about braving her way back home before her thoughts reminded her that her mother wasn't going to be there to greet her when she passed through the door, since she still inhabited a room in the hospital. The word 'Cancer' was now something that controlled part of her life, the disease that had already infected the both of them but her mother being the worst as the only part that had infected Felicity was the fact that she may lose the only blood-family member she had left and if that nightmare came into existence she would surely crumble into nothing but ash.

That was something she had only been able to share with Iris, Barry and Joe as they were the most-like-family she had.

….

Out of everything she had ever done she never thought it would be so hard to lie to herself about just okay she was. Ignoring Oliver was something she could stomach, no matter how difficult it may be, but compelling herself to stay away from the youngest Queen, the ball of energy she had known for so long was the thing that stung most of all but it certainly didn't help with how much weight she already had on her shoulders with the situation with her mother.

So upon returning to the gym the next evening like she typically did at the weekend, spending a good share of her time at the gym throwing in more hours in perfecting her movements, techniques and routines, the world just had to throw her a curveball as Thea sat in the seating area waiting for her.

Ignoring her as she did, acting so cold and practically unresponsive to her and having to witness her pained expression in response to her barrier that she probably didn't understand since Oliver obviously hadn't explained to her the entire concept of the 'stay away from my sister' debacle, _God it was one of the most torturous things she'd ever had to experience_.

Praying to whoever was listening that it would get better, that it would get easier, Felicity focused her thoughts on her own movements through the floor exercises where she proceeded to vent her frustration through her movements, Diggle noticing the fight that was raging inside her but not moving to intercept and for that she was grateful.

….

Throwing a quiet 'thanks' over her shoulder at her driver for the evening, Thea pushed through the door leading to her brother's bedroom she knew he was going to be vacating currently noting the time and day it currently was.

Not stopping her forward momentum until head was cushioned against his thigh in her brother's lap as he sat on the couch in front of his TV watching something to do with sports, Thea couldn't help the multiple sniffles that sounded from her.

"Thea, what's wrong? Is your arm bothering you again?" and cue the protective brother she just needed right then.

"It's F-Felicity, she's i-ignoring me and I-I don't know w-why! What d-did I do w-wrong Ollie?" crying into the material of his jeans, she couldn't for the life of her stop the sobs wracking through her brittle form.

When he didn't respond, she managed to barely push the onslaught of emotions but it gave her enough leeway to glance up at the face of her older brother and saw conflicting emotions in war with one another, a face she knew he made when he was keeping a secret from her.

"Ollie?"

"It's my doing. I told her to back off from you" when she met his gaze, words failed her when she saw the rage peeking through but why was directed at Felicity.

"What….why?" even if her words were basically whispered through the haze of tears that still tracked down her face, the confusion she most likely wore began making him frown.

"Because she hurt you, she's the reason you were hospitalised. She pushed you too hard with moves you weren't ready for" when she lurched up to a seated position beside him in shock and dawning understanding of the situation she wasn't aware of, Oliver frowned further at her surprise. "Why are you acting so surprised by this Speedy? Of course I would act this way when someone I used to call my best friend hurt my little sister"

"Felicity never hurt me in any way, shape or form. She didn't have anything to do with my accident, who told you she did?"

"Laurel, she told me right after we all left the hospital" a fear began devouring his insides, growing in size as each moment passed when his worst nightmare started forming in reality. "_Thea…_"

"It was Laurel who pushed me too hard that night at the gym, Felicity would never do anything like that she's almost as protective as you are"

"Oh God no, it was _Laurel _the entire time?" feeling his own face falling in distraught at the memory of the words he had spoken to Felicity when he had pulled her aside the day after Laurel had mixed the truth, he might've just lost one of his best friends, someone who had been there for him since they were six and aspects of her he could never possibly find in anyone else.

He just shot her down so easily after believing Laurel spoke the truth, basically saying in less words that he would always put Laurel before her when he housed certain feelings for her since a young age when they'd first met in that park, feelings he had had to rein in when he had thought she had injured his younger sister.

_What has he done?_

Unfiltered rage roared through his veins in that moment, rage at the women he had considered to be someone who he could end up asking to share his life with. A storm brewed at his very core as the serpent beneath the flower he had never taken notice of had broken down the one friendship he cherished more than life itself.

….

"It was you this entire time?!" Oliver roared at the startled brunette as he stormed into the gym, striding over to where she was on the floor warming up her muscles, Thea at his side the entire time, watching on with her own stream of fury writhing beneath her skin.

"Ollie? What are you talking about?" from her startled expression as she looked up at him with big eyes, truly unknown to the anger that passed through both of the Queen siblings.

"You twisted my view of what happened to Thea, making me think _Felicity _was the one that pushed her too far, past her own capability, when it was you the entire time, masking yourself from the light. Just because you were my girlfriend you thought you could get away with it" never before had Laurel ever seen Oliver this angry before at anything, and it certainly didn't help that it was all directed at _her_.

"…Ollie, you don't understand-"

"No! _You_ don't understand Laurel! Because of _you_, I may have just lost one of the one friends that's been by my side through it all, through all the shit in my life…and I swear to all available God's right now, if you've cost me her from my life you'd better watch your back. You crossed a line"

With that neither Queen said another word upon the matter, apart from Thea biting out for Laurel to stay the hell out of her life and away from anyone else in case she causes any more damage.

….

College following that weekend was literal hell on Earth for Oliver, try as he did Felicity still refused to talk to him, adamant on not even looking at him but he wasn't done fighting. Not by a long shot.

In Biology they were allowed to choose their own partners and without pause, Oliver instantly found himself beside Felicity asking if they could be partners again as they were last year, the undercurrent of the double meaning not going silent in the moment but unfortunately for him Felicity had backup.

"Actually Oliver, me and Felicity are going to be partners this year and we'd appreciate it if you would leave her alone. She understands what you…_asked _of her, it'd be nice if you showed her the same courtesy and stayed away from her" Caitlin voiced from her seat beside Felicity, jumping in before things got out of hand.

"…oh, it's just when working with Felicity as partners she always had my back, making sure I didn't do anything I would come to regret later on and make it one of my worst mistakes. I guess it was just something I wanted back again…_something I missed_ more than I realised…almost like a fading memory I want to remember again"

When she never spoke a word to him, he fastened his eyes shut trying to shield his heart as best he could from the barrage of bullets showering down on him then.

Turning back to his desk, just as he was about to leave her side _reluctant as it was_ Oliver whispered so only Felicity would be able to hear it.

"I'm not backing off from you, it's best you understand that as soon as possible" promising her then and there and being fully conscious of her own awareness of it, Oliver returned to his seat and continued to shoot her with longing stares, mentally compelling her to turn and look at him like she used to, throwing smiles back at him.

_God he missed her, _even if she was right in front of him and by God he was going to fix his fuck up.

….

Using the evening of Friday to try and figure out a plan to actually get her to talk to him again, or at least look at him Thea skipped into his room, her 3 months in a sling finally up and her extra week just in case, with her gym bag thrown over her shoulder bringing in with her a brilliant brainwave that would not only work with getting back his friendship with Felicity again but where he'd see her more than he already did.

"Hey Thea, consider me your personal gym driver now. I'll drive you and pick you up from gym whenever you go, as long as it's not stupid o'clock"

"Still working on the plan to get back together with Felicity? Well I'm not turning down a free ride whenever I go to gym so deal"

….

For another month Oliver tried relentlessly to cross paths with Felicity but she always found a way to dodge him but luckily for him, determination wasn't on limited supply.

Something he did learn though was just how much time and the sheer amount of hours Felicity was putting in to her routines and stuff, how exhausted she looked by the time Thea finished, she was always there before them every single time even when they were purposefully early and Diggle wasn't even there.

_Just what was she doing to herself?_

Upon watching her whenever he was at the gym, he had crafted a routine where he would sit in the bleachers and wait for Thea to finish while also enabling himself to just observe Felicity and how her experience showed through with her routines. By doing this he tortured himself with watching the interaction between Felicity and Ray, and how truly friendly they were with one another.

But never did the concern he felt for how exhaustion clamped to some movements when she pushed too hard on her tiring body and asked too much of herself, pushing over the limit.

….

Watching as Thea warmed up with some new exercises he'd seen Felicity and the advanced lot use, Oliver spun round to face the source of the sudden outburst when he heard Ray cry Felicity's name, just in time to see her collapse while doing a handstand atop the uneven bars, crumpling up into her body, Oliver's heart paused in beats as he watched in seeming slow motion as her body fell from the height but straight into Ray's arms even at the awkward angle.

He didn't realise he was moving until he was right beside the man, scooping her up into his arms instantly and yelling at him to call an ambulance, moving Felicity's head to come and rest atop his shoulder so her face fit perfectly against his neck, breathing a sigh of relief when he felt her gentle breaths brushing against his skin.

Already moving in the direction of Diggle's office, the man in question met him by opening the door, he didn't pause until he was seated on the couch with Felicity still in his lap and he appreciated it when Diggle didn't comment about it at all.

"What happened?" John questioned, immediately moving to feel for a pulse then picking up her wrist and pressing against her pulse point and wincing at how feeble her pulse was.

"I don't know, she just collapsed while doing a handstand atop the uneven bars, I just turned when she began falling…is she going to be alright?" unconsciously tightening his grasp of her, flexing his hands where they rested under her left armpit and laid over her thighs as her legs straightened out over the expanse of the couch, bringing her further into his embrace.

"I don't know but it's not great that she's not waking up, I can't be sure until the medics get here" biting out his frustration, Oliver subtly turned his head just so to gaze upon her face still pushed up against him, hoping that this sight wouldn't be a one-time thing but not like this…_never like this_.

The next hour passed by seemingly like an eternity, Oliver there by her side every step of the way as Felicity was driven to the hospital in an ambulance, his fear lodging in his throat when she still refused to wake.

_Please, come on baby, open those beautiful sea-deep blue eyes. _

….

Inhaling deeply, Felicity steadily lowered herself completely to the floor, performing a full split, as she exhaled the breath, stretching the rest of her body till practically her entire body was laid out on the floor.

Ever since a week ago she could always feel Oliver's gaze burning holes into her body, not needing to turn around to know it was him, she just knew. It was weird seeing Oliver again, sat in the armchair in her hospital room asleep, slouched back against the back of the chair. After 3 months and a bit of completely ignoring him, she hadn't actually allowed herself to talk to him or even look at him, she knew it was petty but it didn't mean that what he said and how easily he brushed her and their friendship off didn't hurt her like a sword to the gut.

Without needing to ask anyone, _not that there had been anyone to ask apart from a single sleeping Queen_, Felicity noted that she had been asleep for about 24 hours since the date of the newspaper had changed and she had a perfect unobstructed view of Oliver's watch and judging from the light still outside it was about 2 in the afternoon.

When her doctor had come in and jumped in to explaining what had happened to her, consequently wakening the sleeping Queen and causing her to fall back into her natural habits once more, she had been warned on not proceeding with her regular routine. But that was the thing though, something she had been questioning herself about. She _knew _what she was doing but she just didn't seem to want to change it at all. All the hours she had put into the gym had been _her _way of ignoring the elephant in the room whenever she returned home, or should she say the blonde mother that _wasn't _ever home anymore, so it distracted her from the pain that could come with overthinking and that was what she always did no matter what.

It seemed however that the added stress of her mother's illness, her over-physical-activeness (_yes it's a word now)_, and the barely eating she's been forcing herself through had in effect worn her out completely and drained the energy storage she had been falling back on so explained the loss of consciousness.

What _really _didn't help either was the fact that Oliver was there to bear witness of everything she had put herself through and he had looked shocked, shocked by hearing about it and shocked that she wasn't even reacting to it like he probably expected.

_Oliver_.

Just what was going on with him lately as well, one minute he's yanking her aside and demanding her stay away from Thea and himself, shooting their friendship into pieces and then the other he was trying non-stop to rekindle their friendship.

That was a can of worms she was refusing to allow herself to open, he couldn't just play with her like, demand things of her then want to act like nothing happened. Yeah sure maybe she should talk to him and hear him out but in the end she's just doing what he initially wanted her to do, or at least _trying _if both Queens weren't so adamant on making that part even harder.

Thea was an aspect she had forgiven since she hadn't really done anything to wrong her in the first place but her brother however was another story.

"Felicity?" Thea's voice broke through her concentration and brought her current train of thoughts to a sudden standstill, glancing up at the girl in question, Thea was glancing down at her with a weird sort of determination…_oh no_ _here we go- _"Do you want a lift home?"

"No thanks" keeping her answers to being short and clipped, it seemed her new found technique wasn't adequate for the little bundle of energy as she plopped down cross-legged right in front of her.

"…are you mad at him, at Oliver?" her sudden question caught Felicity by surprise, not knowing how to even _begin _to answer that question or whether or not she even wanted to either. "I'll take that as a yes…what I don't understand though is why you're mad still at me, I just want things to go back to the way they were before Laurel fucked everything up"

_You know what screw the basically silent treatment._

"I don't think there will be a chance in the next few years where things will turn back to the way they were"

"…things were just so much easier then though" sighing in surrender, Thea cradled her head in her hand as she rested her elbow against her leg, propping her head up to look down at Felicity as she cradled her head in both hands.

"I know Thea"

"Can things between us stay the same though, like they were before…when you helped me whenever I needed it, there for me when I needed the net of comfort?"

"There will never be a time when I won't be there for you Thea, don't forget that. Besides I'm beginning to like jogging home, it's quite relaxing actually" already spotting the beginning of 'the face' as she liked to call it, Felicity cut in "_and _I promise not to overdo myself either, besides if it makes you feel better I'll text you when I get home and if you need to know I'll be leaving as soon as I've warmed myself down"

"Fine, but I'll be waiting beside my phone for the text or call, if I don't I'm getting Ollie to drive back down here and if I find you here he'll carry you back home and you'll be nannied 24/7 since I know a lot of people in the Queen household were worried about you upon hearing about you collapsing"

"Threat noted, now scoot"

"I'll be waiting

….

**Felicity S. x 19:25**

I'm home, you happy now?

**Thea Q. 3 19:25**

Quite content actually x

**Felicity S x 19:26**

Uh huh, go bathe in your personally bottled mountain water =(

**Thea Q. 19:26**

Jealous much?

**Felicity S x 19:26**

Goodnight x

**Thea Q. 19:26**

Goodnight, try not to dream of me too much x

**Felicity S x 19:26**

You know I can continue the silent treatment

**Thea Q. 19:26**

Love you too x

….

Unconsciously tapping her thumb against the screen of her phone as she paced the hallways of the hospital in Vegas her mum had been surprisingly sent to since it was her hometown and there were Doctors more personal with her illness than the ones in Starling General had been.

Whilst she had been at the gym stretching her muscles out ready for another hard day's work out with Thea at her side, her phone had gone off which made her frown instantly as she had put in an algorithm into her phone so that when she was in the gym only certain calls were let through so she wasn't disturbed during her routines and all. The hospital at Vegas had called her up speaking about the change of plans for the current location of her mother, making her heart pound at the thought of something going wrong and her wanting to be closer to home than somewhere in which she had no permanent connection to. Her hand, unknowingly, had gone straight to the base of her throat, a habit she had started from a young age since that way her own heartbeat grounded her when she needed the anchor.

She had instantly jumped on the next plane to Vegas when they had told her that her mother wanted her to be there with her to hear the news of her condition in person, apologising for the inconvenience but agreeing with her that it was by her mother's wishes and right now she couldn't bring herself to say no to her. Not even explaining to Thea why she had suddenly become so panicked before darting out the door, telling Diggle that something had come up, a family matter, and couldn't be rescheduled Felicity wouldn't be shocked if she looked to see a thousand calls and messages from her asking if she was okay and where she was.

"Miss Smoak?" a male voice called out from the room she had been patiently waiting to open, breaking her out of the trance and compelling her move with him towards her mother's room.

_Please be good, please be good, please be good…_

….

Almost tripping over her own feet, Felicity stumbled out of the door that housed her mother. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't feel…

Pushing her back up against the wall of the hallway, she never put up a wisp of fight against the way her back began sliding down till she was seated on the floor with her legs bent in front of her, bringing her hands to her chest to push against the thrashing sound of her heart and throwing her head back into the wall behind her with a dull thud.

Why was she shaking so much?

"Felicity?" it was her name that brought her out of her stupor, looking up to see the very face she had ignored for the past 4 months in front of her glancing down at her with such panic at seeing her in the state she was currently in, curled up against the wall, tears streaming down her cheeks…_God _she probably looked like a real mess but she didn't care.

Huffing at herself, Felicity threw her head back once more as she closed her eyes, feeling him hesitantly take a seat beside her on the floor, the air between them changing, becoming charged with something she couldn't name.

"…you knew"

"For a little while, yes…I found out while you were in hospital. I noticed another 'Smoak' being checked into a different room and as you were sleeping I did some research of my own and that's when I found out" not even needing to look at him to know his gaze was on her, watching her reaction as he told her something she had had a dull feeling about but didn't think too much of.

"So it all was you. How this was all paid for…"

"You and your mum have been as much of the Queen family as me and Thea, families help one another out"

"The reason why she was suddenly moved back to Vegas again…"

"I thought she may be more comfortable here than anywhere else, there's something about being in your hometown that soothes the nerves"

"…how you're here right now after finding out that she's in the safe?" breathing through the tears as she finally begins truly realising that not once in the past few months has she ever stopped to just take in and stomach the fact that her mother had the deadly illness that killed without mercy and had her on chemo for months that took her away from her home, a home Felicity would return to and ignore the empty existence within.

"Felicity, why didn't you tell me? I could've helped you both, you must've been going through such a rough time, taking it all on your own shoulders and all…and me making it worse with being a complete and utter dick certainly didn't help either.

"…I found it was actually quite easy if I didn't even believe it to be true" finally opening her eyes and ending the silent treatment she'd been giving him, Felicity met his gaze after 4 months of unending crap. Seeing the confusion and shock in his face, she smiled. "When the Doctor told me what I had been doing to myself, I saw the shock on your face at how I knew what I was doing yet never made a move to stop….it was my coping mechanism"

"Like you did in your teenage years when you went Goth?"

"Precisely….you can't deal with what you don't deem to be real in the first place…ignore it out of existence" feeling the moment heating up between them as they both silently understood that that was exactly what she was doing with him also.

Making a move to rise to her feet, she didn't notice Oliver doing the same thing until she turned to say goodbye to him only to realise he was standing to his full height behind her.

"I...should go, long flight back and all"

"You're not flying back in this state. You can stay with me in my suite where there is _more than enough rooms_" he emphasised as she began refusing, raising his voice to be over hers. "That way you don't have to rush saying goodbye to your mum and you can actually get properly fed and rested before heading back to Starling and going straight back to your heavily schedule of pushing yourself too much"

"…and I forgot how pushy you are, rich kid" falling back on the nickname she had initially given him upon their first meeting over a decade ago, Felicity threw him a glare at his response.

"It'll do you good to not forget about that smartass"

….

Wrapping the blanket around her even tighter, Felicity's eyes traced the skyline of Vegas continuously, the habit of non-stop movement getting to her again.

Since she had returned with Oliver to his suite about five minutes down the road, he had insisted on ordering up room service and providing her with the basics; protein, fibre, iron, carbohydrates, vitamins etc. even topping it off with some chocolate cupcakes which she started feeding to him, only to shove his nose into the icing.

Head shooting up at the sound of the floorboards creaking underneath his weight, Felicity's gaze met Oliver's sheepish one, already knowing her answer before having to ask the question.

Rolling her eyes, she resumed her sleeping position as she felt the bed dip beside her and the duvet lift over his form as he settled in behind her.

"How come you always sleep with an extra blanket?"

"None of your business Buster"

Feeling the amused breath against the nape of her neck, Felicity fought off the shiver rising up, compelling her body not to be traitor against her fight with testosterone.

Silence suffocating the pair of them, Felicity turned her head to face his and couldn't bite back the sharp inhale that sounded when she met his darkened eyes as they roved over her body, eliciting goosebumps wherever they trailed and leaving her grateful for the blanket covering her grey pull over shirt and short PJ shorts and the now bumpy skin.

"Felicity…" mumbling her name, Oliver's eyes darted between her mouth and her eyes, forever seeming to pass before he finally made a move and ended the silence, figuratively and literally, as his lips locked with her own, not pausing before devouring her.

Becoming a willing participant, Felicity reached one hand out and began trailing it over his rock-hard body, Oliver in response grasping her hip and flipping her over to bring her properly face to face with him.

Pulling back from his kisses to briefly run her fingers through his cropped hair, she breathed out her relief and not having to look at the mop super glued to his head anymore.

"Really, mop super glued to my head, now that's a bit harsh…even if it may be true _a little_" not leaving her time to respond before he was lip locking her once more, he growled his appreciation when she dragged her nails down the expanse of his back. "…_God _I've wanted you to do that for so long"

Laughing in response, Felicity only pulled him back to her once more, feeling his smile against her lips as he suddenly pulled her body underneath his, leveraging himself up over her by his forearms on either side of her head.

"This, has to go" yanking at the extra layer of warmth surrounding her but adding another layer between them, Oliver began trailing kisses down her body and towards her sleeping shorts, nipping at the skin around her thighs where they ended and tugging at the bow sewed onto the front. "I love these shorts, but I think I'd prefer you _out_ of them" skimming his hands up her sides before tugging the material down and revealing her style of sleeping, his surprised gaze heating instantly as he raises his head to meet her eyes, Felicity responding with a shrug.

"I prefer going commando, it frees my babies"

"So that means…you…" intentionally trailing off the rest of his sentence as his hands target her babies, Felicity couldn't help the moan when he locks in, face going to the hem of her shirt and mouthing his way up past her navel, bunching her shirt up along the way until he whips it up over her head, leaving her in nothing but sleep socks beneath him, a matter he isn't hesitating in taking advantage of, running his hands and mouth all over apparently intending to touch every square inch of her body.

Quickly flicking her hips up and over, Oliver moaning deep in his throat when their bodies collided hard against one another, taking him by surprise as she flips them over so she's on top, Felicity begins her task of tasting his skin just as he has done with hers, pulling back when he tries to reach up and latch onto the skin of her neck.

"You, _Mr Queen_, are wearing far too many clothes"

"If you continue calling me that the way you are, I'm not going to be lasting long enough to get the clothes off" growling lowly as he bands his arms around her torso, tugging her down and continuing to lap at her lips, Felicity was barely aware of the two of them stripping him down to nothing but skin as their mouths battled with one another, teeth nipping at flesh.

As they moved closer and closer to becoming one, Felicity felt the Earth shifting, slowing down around them, pausing in its movements as time cease to exist, painting the memory in both of their minds as they moved together.

….

"You're not going to be needing that anymore" grumbling at the piece of material that had always cut him off from fully feeling her whenever they'd lay on his bed when they couldn't be bothered to find the inspiration to move, Oliver flicked the material onto the couch beneath the window as he tightened his arm around the blonde resting against his chest, a feeling he could definitely get used to.

"You've always been jealous of that haven't you?" muttering in amusement, Oliver muttered under his breath before swooping down and pecking a few more kisses on her lips again, smiling in glee at how addicted her already was to kissing her, a luxury he could now partake in now she was in his arms.

"I just don't see the point of having another extra layer of bedding around you is all, now you really don't have to since you have me instead and I'd prefer if we stuck to that instead of me having to find you as a burrito"

"Hey! I like being the burrito it helps keep me warm throughout the night. Not to mention how amazing waking up inside it is as well"

"…I'll relent on that point on one condition. I get to invade the burrito every night" locking gazes with her, Oliver saw the fight of how it had been a routine for her since she was younger when she used to suffer from bad nightmares, but he couldn't help the smile when she sighed deeply and visibly saw the fight leaving her.

"_Fine_, I'll let you take over my burrito at night, but that's it mister"

"I promise I won't go anywhere near your morning routine of making out with your coffee mug…but I do require my own fair share of making out in the mornings, _before _you get out of bed but something that is crucial for you to know for your own survival of course is that at that time of the day, your arse is mine" growling into her neck, making her squeal in laughter at the feel of his scruff.

"Who knew you were a sap beneath that tough exterior" breathing out, desperate to get more oxygen to her lungs since he had basically drained them of it by the tickling fit, the words Felicity threw a glance up at him once he pulled back.

"Eh, I'm pretty sure Speedy's the only other person I'm a _sap _with, as you put it. Now, as it's…" looking over towards her phone on charge on the bedside unit, Oliver returned his gaze to Felicity once more "… almost half past 11 at night, _you _need to get some shut eye ready for practice tomorrow afternoon once we've returned back home"

"Urgh…I sleep with you once and you're already telling me what to do, is this how it's going to be from now on?" throwing her a mock glare, Oliver tugged her all the more into his body, tucking her into his side so her head came to rest on his shoulder and her face buried in his neck, giving him a perfect angle to rest his cheek atop her head and turn himself into her slightly.

"Huh, glad you appreciate my services Felicity, make me feel loved why don't you. Besides as your boyfriend, I'm now taking it upon myself to make sure you get the right amount of sleep, nutrition and hydration so you don't end up collapsing in mid-practice again"

"Okay, one, that was _once _and I doubt it's going to be happening again and two, since when did we start dating?" lifting her head from his shoulder, Felicity threw him a curious look.

"Since the moment I got you in bed. Do you really think I'm going to be giving up this luxury? Being able to just do _this _with you is something I never actually knew I wanted. I mean, I admit that for quite some time I've housed a…_crush_, I guess you could call it, on you but now that we've done something so intimate….I'm not willing to let this be just a one-time thing. So yes we're dating because Felicity Smoak, I've been in love with you since that moment we met all those years ago in the park and you just brightened up my life with just being _you_, and I want to be the guy that gets to hold your hand when we're walking somewhere, kiss you whenever I feel like it and just because I can, hold you in my arms when I just need that anchor to reality when my mind gets too rough on me and feeling like life is just crushing me, invite you round so we can sit in front of the TV or fire together under a blanket when it gets cold or when we just need a time out" blowing out a deep breath as he pulled her down to lie on top of him, wrapping his arms tight around her back and revelling in the feel of her small, soft and warm hands spread out on his chest between their bodies, Oliver couldn't help the smile at the scene playing out in front of him. "So yes Felicity I want to be your boyfriend and want to be able to call you my girlfriend"

When Felicity just stared at him, not making any move to respond, there wasn't a deep stabbing feeling in his gut because he knew the look on her face…he had just made Felicity Smoak speechless, and just barely managed to stop himself from laughing out at the fact in front of them.

"…since we were younger? You've really like-liked me _that _long?" at his nod, she continued "How come you never said anything to me?"

"Because I was just scared that it would make you run away from me and I'd lose our friendship. So I watched you learn and grow and mature into this remarkable young woman that holds my heart in the palm of her hand. I admit I hated seeing you so…_friendly _with all those guys in the past, kissing them in front of me and describing how you thought that one of them might be _the one_ for you but I had made my choice in that moment and I didn't regret it. I preferred being your friend, even if I did have to witness other guys flocking round you, instead of not being in your life….so that's what I did" stroking his hands up the curve of her spine, banding one arm tighter round her waist and spreading the other between her shoulder blades, Oliver gazed deep into her eyes, letting her see how genuine he truly was.

"_God _we are both idiots. To think we could've been together for longer…"

"Wait, hold up…are you, are you saying you had a thing for me too?" flexing the hand between her shoulder blades, Oliver could feel himself perking up.

"Why do you think whenever you and Laurel started dating time and time again I always found an excuse to not be there?"

"…we really are both idiots. My relationship with Laurel though, Felicity it's never properly worked out between us because the person that I love isn't the one I was in the relationship _with_, she was someone that I _used _to distract myself from how much I wanted _you_" tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, Oliver brought one of his hands to cradle her cheek. "…now that I've got you in my arms though, I'm not going to be releasing you anytime soon, I hope you know that"

"Oh I know that, since I'm returning that gesture"

"Now that we're on the same page, you need to get some sleep for tomorrow. I'm adamant on that"

"Fine, fine"

Returning to her position before Oliver had pulled her atop him Felicity tangled their legs together as she once more tucked her head against the side of his neck, feeling the tug of sleep already guiding her over the edge.

"…Oliver?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you too"

….

It turned out being in a relationship with Oliver was something that actually became rather beneficial. He was there at her practice sessions alongside Thea, throwing her heat-filled glances every now and then when their eyes met and even forbid her from going there too early in the morning and instead met her for runs before college started.

He was there at lunch when she didn't bring that much food back with her from the café, sitting next to her with a kiss to her head or lips while planting lunch Raisa had made her (that woman knew her like the back of her hand) in front of her and not relenting until she tucked in, _despite the multiple evil eyes she had given him_.

He was there with his entire family and beside her friends at her competitions, cheering her on _every single time_, wearing custom 'Smoak em' shirts that made her giggle when she looked over at him and would always manage to lift her spirits.

In return she was there for him when life became too hard on him, the shoulder to cry on when things threw him a curveball like when Tommy almost died in a car crash with a drunk driver, dodging a fate of almost being impaled through the stomach by a broken piece of metal from the structure of the other driver's car.

She stood by his side when Laurel tried relentlessly to get back in his bed and protected Thea from further injuries when she tried to proceed with moves she wasn't ready for get, showing her and training her so she was capable of pulling off more advanced than her level tricks.

Even when during one of her competitions she faltered and messed up, resulting in a broken bone, a concussion and bruising, Oliver was there beside her at the hospital and helped her resume her training by making sure she didn't overwork herself and pull her back when she got frustrated and tried to skip steps.

Who knew that in a couple years when Oliver proposed and changed her last name, officially making her a Queen, their routine never changed even when he began business school to collect all the certificates he would need to make it in the business league of Queen Incorporated they would still pull through for one another, Felicity being there for him to use as someone to study with and him remaining her personal trainer.

Later on in their marriage when their little family expanded when she got pregnant with twins and she decided to retire from gymnastics competitions to become a training, taking over Diggle's spot so he himself could retire and focus more on living with his wife and taking care of their grandchildren, things never changed.

So the best friends that grew up together and became a family to one another, graduating to have their own family, never even faltered in their love for one another. Sure there were fights and threats of one of them leaving or getting divorced but in the end they always came through for the other.

….

"Mummy!" turning her attention to the young dirty-blonde girl currently running her way, Felicity put her tablet aside as her daughter jumped up onto her lap.

"What's up honey?"

"I just made a new friend! Can we stay a _little _bit longer, _please?_ I promised I would show him how to do the monkey bars like daddy showed me and I can't go back on a promise" not being able to cut off the smile from erupting over her face at just how much of her husband ran inside their daughter, Felicity couldn't refuse the girl.

"Alright, we can stay a little longer honey. Now go, before he attempts those monkey bars without your guidance"

"Thank you! Love you Mummy!" laughing as she skipped off, Felicity threw her son a glance to make sure he was okay and couldn't keep the giggle from sounding when she spotted her husband lifting Connor over his head, onto his shoulders and dancing around after he scored a goal.

Yup, this was her life now and there wasn't any way she could possibly regret a moment of it.


	73. Marshmallow Fluff

**So as Christmas is coming up, I'm going to try and upload as many little festive fics as I can to give you guys something to warm your hearts. Consider this one as uploaded on the 1st since I didn't finish it in time. I guess I can call these little advent stocking-fillers. **

**Hope you enjoy and please leave a review for me!  
Thanks and enjoy x  
**

As she's Jewish, the term 'Christmas' didn't really tend to get her as pumped up as the other kids that she had gone to school and college with but now as the Christmas Holidays are upcoming and Felicity and Oliver being deep within their relationship, her already having moved in the moment they returned from Ivy Town, this year she had promised herself it was going to be different.

Something though that she hadn't been expecting was the extent to which the younger Queen would take her Christmas spirit, so that is why she is currently lying stretched out on the couch in front of the fireplace beneath the blanket that housed a certain musky pine smell that she always registered with safety, _her _safety. The entirety of that morning, Thea has had Felicity all around the City shopping for Christmas presents and gathering more decorations (_like they didn't have enough already_), making snow angels in the car parking lot because the snow had been _too perfect not to_ (Thea's words not hers) and planning a giant get together of all their friends to celebrate their first 'Arrow' Christmas together as a proper family (_so what if she had used the tissues in her bag at the thought, sue her!)_.

So in general, Felicity was flat out exhausted.

Her eyes had been teetering on the verge of shutting when a delicious shiver coursed through her body, instantly notifying her of a certain boyfriend closing in on her current location and resulting in a dopey smile splashing out 'cross her face at the thought of spending a milestone with Oliver, celebrating _them_.

"Well someone looks like she's had a fun day, Thea exhausted you didn't she?" not even bothering to send him a glare at his gleeful expression mostly evident from his voice, Felicity simply buried the side of her head further into the back of the couch, exhaling deeply.

"Mmm…what makes you say that?" normally she would open her eyes to see the domestic look on his face that unearthed a side of Oliver she had never seen before, only in her dreams mostly, but her body literally felt like if she asked it to move it would just ignore her completely.

"Well, I hope you're not too tired for quality time with your boyfriend" already feeling his warm breath against her temple, Felicity lifted her head from where it laid cushioned against the cushions of the couch and met his lips for a kiss where she could feel his pleasure at her instant response to him without having to ask, their silent communication running deeper than both of them were ever aware of.

"I'll never be too tired for you Oliver" finally opening her eyes to greet his own, Felicity's heart began beating twice as fast as a look passed over his face where he still couldn't believe that this was now his life and he could do this whenever he damn felt like it because they were together as true partners in life now. "...wait…Oliver, is that hot chocolate?"

"Yup" murmuring a short answer in response, Oliver hardly waited before engaging her in another deep, passion-full kiss that made her toes curl up. "…hmm, don't think I'll ever get bored of being able to do this with you now"

"Sap" laughing under her breath, Felicity simply took in the scene before her.

On the coffee table sat two mugs of steaming hot chocolate that were already making her salivate at just how much care Oliver had taken in making them, topping them both off with a candy cane as a stirrer (he knew about her bad sweet tooth, always taking pleasure in that aspect with his sweet desserts) and the fact that he had given her all the pink mini marshmallows didn't go unnoticed by her either.

"Well since I know you don't celebrate Christmas as much as the rest of us do, to which I'm grateful for you putting in an extra effort by the way, I want to take full advantage of that and let you experience one of the best things Christmas has to offer. Something I always loved doing when Speedy and I were younger" watching her boyfriend as he moved about the living section of the apartment, Felicity frowned when he began stripping the other couch of its much larger pillows and set them down on the floor in front of the couch she currently inhabited. "So, would you care to join me Felicity?"

Shifting the blanket off her body and settled down in front of Oliver, where he sat with his back leant up against the couch and with his legs open to accommodate her, Felicity snuggled back into his chest sighing happily when one of his strong arms came around her waist while the other laid the blanket she had been using over the both of them, tucking them both into a cocoon of warmth and love.

Picking up his own mug of hot cocoa, Felicity smiled again at the display of domesticity when he began feeding one of the much larger marshmallows that was soaked in the froth of the delicious treat, just then realising his plan all along.

Oliver hated eating a varied quantity of the soft delight but however had no problem in feeding them all to her, scolding her when she tried eating them herself, saying she was denying him his pleasure.

"Smooth Queen, very smooth" laughing as she ran her tongue over her upper lip to catch the remnants of the froth, she watched as his gaze darkened with pure lust at the action, his own lips falling over hers in response and laying chaste kisses onto her smiling mouth.

"As silk" lifting his eyes to lock gazes with her, Felicity noticed with full intent the way his arms tightened around her when she smiled up at him and rested the side of her head against his shoulder, still gazing up at him with such adoration it always managed to make his breath catch. "Merry Christmas Felicity" fully knowing Christmas was another fortnight away, Felicity just smiled as the moment encased them both within its arms, creating a memory that they would remember in the years following.

"Merry Christmas Oliver"

As snowflakes began falling against the window, nothing could deter the couple from one another as they cuddled together into the whispers of dawn.


	74. A Twinkle of a Gleam

**As the second one of my advent stocking-fillers, this one I have no idea where I was going with but continued it anyways for the interest of how it would turn out. Even though it's a little shorter than the last it still makes me smile while reading it. **

**Anyways, leave a review to tell me your thoughts. **

**Thanks and enjoy x  
**

"Remind me again why we decided to do this in the first place again? Why couldn't we just simply _buy _the cards instead of making them?" Oliver groaned from across the living room where he was sat in the middle of a pile of arts and crafts supplies, Felicity sitting on the other side of the coffee table as she secured a bunch of glitter onto the words she had carefully template with a pencil.

"Because _you _wanted us to do something Christmas-y and so we could then hand these out to the children of that new home you opened a couple weeks ago, along with the presents to asked Thea to collect because you were afraid of having her help create the cards in case she caused manic, _your words _by the way" Felicity simply laughed as the finished up on the "s" of Merry Christmas that had Rudolph as the central character in front of a snowy forest.

Throwing a quick glance back over at her boyfriend, Felicity muffled a giggle when she saw how confused he looked with glitter stuck in his hair, making him shimmer in the light.

"Would you like some help Oliver?" trying to replace her amusement with something else before Oliver caught wind of it, Felicity couldn't help but smile at his face.

"How is it that I can fire arrows at moving targets while on the run without looking, remain as still as a statue when faced with motion sensors but I can't seem to make freaking _Christmas cards?!_" shrugging his shoulders and flopping his hands to his sides so more glitter clung to him, the laugh that suddenly burst from her mouth was one that she _really couldn't _hold back, causing Oliver's gaze to immediately snap to meet hers. "Don't laugh at me Felicity! You're supposed to be my supportive girlfriend. If I wanted someone to just laugh at my pain I would've invited Thea and Diggle" whining like a child, Felicity's giggles just intensified instead of calming to actually _help _her boyfriend like he needed her to.

"_I'm sorry _but it's just" pausing to try and catch her breath between giggles, Felicity pushed on "you just look so damn _adorable _like this, covered in glitter and whatnot"

"Felicity, I'm not _adorable_ and you're still _not helping_!" growling when she grabbed her phone and snapped a quick picture of him, Oliver launched himself at her, ending them up over by the couch and avoiding all the artsy stuff scattered over the floor.

Sending another low growl into the skin of her neck, smirking at how sensitive she was there and how she began trying to shift out from beneath him but unable to, Oliver began covering her in the glitter located all over him, rendering them both as sparkly as the other as the rest of the team entered into the townhouse, making them both still and begin laughing even more at the shock on the their faces.

…..

They ended up getting the cards done before their deadline, thanks mostly to the efforts of the rest of the team, and visited the home and gifted each one of the kids with their own card and present but it was the one that had the entire team in a selfie taken by Thea and _covered _in glitter that was their favourite and stood atop the fireplace where everyone could see.


	75. My Sweetheart

**Here's the third installment in the Christmas Advent Stocking-Fillers for you guys. Hope you enjoy. **

**Leave a review and tell me your thoughts x**

**Thanks and enjoy!**

"No"

"Please?"

"No"

"Pretty, pretty please with a cherry on top?"

"For the last time, no! It was your idea in the first place Oliver! I'm not letting you drag me into a situation where I have to wear _that _in front of any of them!"

"Felicity I have to wear _this _in front of them, do you have any idea how ridiculous I feel in it? But I'm doing it anyways because _you _convinced me to, so I think you kind of owe me"

"I don't _owe _you didly-squat! When you asked me whether or not you should do this, I just said it would be nice for the kids. I didn't _convince _you of _anything_!"

"You know that I take all things you say into a deep consideration though Felicity, if you said it would be nice for them then of course it was going to convince me. Don't you know me well enough already?"

"Quit trying the guilt act on me buddy, it's _not happening_! You just don't want to be alone in this Oliver!"

"You know how much I love you honey"

Frowning at how innocent he seemed to look in that one moment, Felicity should've seen it coming from miles away but of course Oliver had to be the wonderful boyfriend that he was and knew her to such an extent that he had planned on that chance happening by distracting her from the group of woman sneaking up behind her and dragging _well more like carrying _her away to the changing rooms.

Crossing her arms as the group grinned in front of her when they basically forced her into the Mrs Claus outfit Felicity swore her vengeance on them all in her mind, planning her revenge on them already.

…..

"I hope you are happy now!" whisper shouting at him as she strode up to his side in the medium, 3-inch red sparkly high heels not at all limiting her in speed, Felicity glared immensely at him when he simply smiled in glee in response to seeing her dressed in the Christmas-y outfit, taking a position by his side as he sat in the red-pillowed oak chair surrounded by fake snow.

"Obviously, now I've got my loving wife by my side" a fuller smile pulling across his face, Felicity replying in turning to the long line of kids waiting to sit on his knee, managing to shove her anger at that man deep so she could focus on being warm and welcoming for the kids ahead.

…..

Upon feeling a small chubby hand wrapping around her lower leg, Felicity glanced down at the young boy who looked to be around four gazing up at her with an awestruck face.

"What's it like living in the North Pole?" the question taking her by surprise, Felicity kneeled down to bring her face level with the young boy's, who seemed to smile wider at the action of her coming closer to him.

"Very cold" replying around her smile at the boy, the kid in question put on a frown-y face that certainly didn't help her in any way in terms of stopping the smile. "…but it's great weather for hot chocolates, snowball fights and making snowmen and angels" face lighting up at her continuation, Felicity nodded towards where Oliver sat "looks like it's your turn now"

"When I go up and mummy takes my photo, can you be in there too?" the hope in the boy's face seemed to make her rather speechless as she instead nodded her confirmation, resulting in him throwing his arms round her and giving her a giggling hug before skipping off towards Santa.

Rising back to her full height, Felicity smiled at Oliver when he glanced over at her after the boy whispered in his ear, watching as the side of his face pulled up in a gleeful smile making the white beard shift against his chest.

"He's a wonderful kid you've got there" turning to talk to the mother, who seemed to be struggling in not smiling as she watched her son talk animatedly with Santa about what he wanted, the man listening intently and nodding his head seriously as he frowned.

"Yes he sure is, he has one of the best hearts. So _Santa _seems to be keeping a close eye on you, are Mr and Mrs Claus fighting?"

"It's more like he's trying to get himself back into my good books again after making me feel slightly disappointed. You know how men are"

Momentarily laughing with the slightly older woman, Felicity paused when she heard her alias' name being called out by the young boy sitting on a smirking Santa's lap still.

"Here dear, come sit on my lap" shooting him a darker look, her anger coursing beneath the surface, Felicity altered her focus on the kid instead.

"Yes you sit on his lap, then I sit on yours!" laughing at his excitement as he threw two chubby arms out to her, Felicity switched positions with him as she settled him on her lap, feeling Oliver's arms tightening round her form to keep her tight against him.

"Okay, smile!" the mother cheered, her son laying his head down on top of her shoulder as the phone camera snapped. "Brilliant!"

"Thank you!" looking between her and Oliver, the young boy hugged Oliver before hugging himself closer to her as she lifted him back to the floor once more, his smaller hand slipping into hers as she walked him back to his mother waiting in front of the queue.

"Hope you enjoy the rest of your day and Merry Christmas!" waving at the two as they left 'Santa's Grotto', the memory of that particular boy remained on her thoughts for the rest of the time as she and Oliver got through the entire line up of children.

…

"Well you two looked like you had fun" Thea's cheery voice came from the sides as Felicity helped the other elves begin packing away the set, Oliver stretching out on the chair, his butt most likely having fallen asleep. "You really rocked that outfit Felicity, or should I say _Mrs Claus_?"

"Not if you don't want your earlier photos of when you were naked in the bathtub or _really _bad ones from years prior to go onto the internet, then no you don't want to call me that Thea" smiling darkly at their group of friends that had apparently now come out of hiding to help _after _they had gotten through all the kids.

"Can I just ask you one favour?"

"I dread this, I really do"

"Just one photo of the two of you, you both look adorable with matching outfits on" throwing her a look, Felicity hardly got a chance to decide on the matter as a pair of strong arms yanked her down onto his lap, tightening around her like they had when the earlier young boy had wanted a group photo with her in it.

"Yes, I think that's a perfect idea. You are my wife after all. We could put it in a scrapbook"

"One, I'm not your wife otherwise you mister would be in a landslide of trouble right now and two, since when do we have a scrapbook of us?"

"Since now" putting up some means of a fight, Felicity already knew it was hopeless as her thoughts were confirmed when he just tugged her further into his chest, posing for the camera.

"Aw, you two look adorable together. Even with Ollie being in the fat suit" burying her face into his shoulder at her last comment, feeling Oliver's response with the deep rumble as his chest vibrated against her, Felicity struggled to hold back the giggles.

Shifting to move herself from his lap, Oliver tightened his hold to bring their faces close before he whispered to her under his breath so only she could hear him.

"Not my wife _yet_, Felicity" only being able to stare at him in shock at his statement, Felicity was taken by surprised when he began carrying her to changing rooms, passing a giggling lot of friends on their way.

"God, this is going to be one hell of a year" muttering to herself as she laid her head on his shoulder since there was no possible way she was going to manage to escape his tight hold of her.

_That going both ways. _


	76. Shining Like the North Star

**Here's the fourth installment in the Christmas Advent Stocking-Fillers for you guys, apologises for the slightly late upload.  
**

**Please leave a review and tell me your thoughts x**

**Thanks and enjoy!**

"Felicity, how many more presents do we actually need?" Oliver whined as he gazed between the two of them lugging around a multitude of bags full of presents for those they now considered family, praying that it wasn't too much longer before they could finally stop and go home, he was so tempted to bribe her with the promise of toasting s'mores over their fireplace just to return home.

"Just a few more, we still need something else for Thea and Cisco" Felicity replied while nudging her arm against his, the action caused his insides to twist because normally he would've entwined their fingers by now and just settle into the fact that he could just walk wherever they went with her small soft hand in his own but because of the bags, he couldn't.

_It was a nightmare_.

"Oh! I've just had a brilliant thought, come on Oliver, time for Cisco's present" plodding on behind her as she lead the way into a technology store, Oliver finally felt a smile appear on his face as Felicity's face basically lit up like a Christmas tree, her bond with anything techy-wise still made him roll his eyes _until she reminded him of his bond with anything arrow-y_.

Finishing their trip with a trip to a jewellery store, their Christmas present list was finally complete and allowed Oliver to finally breathe in gratitude, packing all the gifts into the back of the car he rolled his shoulders before ducking into the driver's side of the car whilst Felicity was on her phone doing whatever.

"I'm so glad that's over" exhaling the breath he felt he hadn't properly been able to relinquish since this morning began and Felicity dragged him into the mall, Oliver's eyes peaked over at his girlfriend.

"You now, I did say you didn't have to come with me Oliver. I could've done all this by myself, I have for the previous years but did you listen? Nope. It would've saved you from spending hours staring in shops you obviously don't want to be in" she laughed at him, gently punching him in the shoulder as he _was _driving so _thank you for that_.

"Yeah, sure like I'd let you do this by yourself. We're partners remember? Even if it was the most boring few hours I've spent in my life, it's worth it since the moment we get home I'm dumping all this stuff and taking you upstairs and showing you _my _perfect morning all over again" sending a lasting low growl her way, he grinned when he spotted her eyes hinting beneath a darker shade of lust.

"You're kind of forgetting something Oliver" her teasing voice was one he never liked since he always found himself on the receiving end of it and she had him wrapped around her little finger, always knowing how to play him to get what she wanted.

It made the team laugh so hard at just how true it was.

"Oh yeah, and what is that Felicity?"

"We still have to wrap them and you know how much you _love _wrapping presents don't you?"

"_Goddammit!_" swearing as he returned his eyes to the road once more, he pleaded to every single skill he had been forced to learn since the island to get this done and over with as soon as possible.

….

"That's it, I'm done with this!" throwing the ribbon to the floor that he'd been trying to tie into a bow for his little sister's present, Oliver roared in frustration before scooting himself backwards away from the material from hell he'd named it in his head.

"Oliver, come on. It's just a bow, you can do it" the encouraging voice of his girlfriend broke through the self-doubt as he sat with his back against the front of the couch, Felicity taking a seat beside him, sliding her hand to cover his chest over his heart just as she always did and it didn't fail to affect him now as he shut his eyes and turned slightly into her.

Covering her hand with his own, Oliver lifted it to the side of his face to lean into her touch as it grounded him before opening his eyes once more.

"You say that, but just look at your wrapping and how beautiful and professional it looks then look at mine and how it looks like a drunken man did it in a rush!" not bothering to stop himself from whining like a five year old, Oliver pointed out between two presents that sat side by side on the side of the fireplace where they decided to gather the presents up.

"It does not! Besides, who cares if I'm relatively better at this than you? You're much better than me at cooking and sports and being the saviour of this city for _years_ when nobody else dared. Who cares if you can't wrap as well as you can shoot arrows or make sure your girlfriend has a scrumptious lunch to eat when she gets hungry, which she loves by the way. Your life doesn't depend on the way you wrap presents, besides that's why I got the bags"

"You know me far too well" laving kisses down her neck, Oliver felt tingles of shock sparking at his nervous system as he began wrapping his arms round her, crushing her to his chest before lifting to his feet.

"Oliver, the presents, we can't-" cutting her protest off by colliding his lips to her own, Oliver never once stopped his movement up the stairs, leaving the presents mostly wrapped in the dust, more focused on loving his girlfriend than anything.

"We can and we are. I'd rather spend the evening intimate with _you _than wrapping presents any day" tossing her onto the bed, Felicity sighed in defeat as she began stripping them both, Oliver committing to his plan on kissing every square inch of her body, leaving his own personal brand on her skin where only he could find them.

"I will make you wrap those presents Oliver, mark my words"

"Hmm…sure, but not now, there are more pressing things to deal with" he murmured into the skin of her neck.


	77. Shining Bright

**Here's the fifth installment in the Christmas Advent Stocking-Fillers for you guys, apologises for the slightly late upload. I really can't help writing Oliver to be slightly need with Felicity, always wanting to kiss and hug her. It's so much fun doing so XP  
**

**Please leave a review and tell me your thoughts x**

**Thanks and enjoy!**

"Felicity, you home?" calling out for his girlfriend the moment he walked into the loft, Oliver dumped his suit jacket over the back of the couch as he moved through their home together.

He knew she wasn't at work since she finished all the daily chores she needed to do early and had texted him that she was on her way home and if he wanted anything, _besides the desire he always had with her and could wait till he returned home_, to which he replied no.

So where was she?

"Felicity? Honey?" pausing in his steps at the sound of a distinct sound of mumbling, or should he say rambling, that he knew belonged to Felicity, Oliver also heard her cursing harshly from upstairs and that was never good.

Racing up the stairs, taking two at a time, Oliver practically skidded to a halt at the sight of Felicity balancing a big box of Christmas decorations on her shoulder whilst trying not to fall off the top step of the ladder you pulled down with the hatch to access the attic.

"Felicity, be careful!" rushing to her aid when he saw her begin to overbalance when another box that was attached by a string of Christmas lights began sliding down with the one she was adamant on having, Oliver climbed up behind her and shoved at the other box, freeing her struggles. "I told you I'd get these out of the attic, I don't want you doing your back in" chastising his girlfriend's actions, they both worked in tandem to get all the boxes down and splayed out down the corridor before he was able to wrap his arms round her and bring her into his chest. "Why didn't you wait for me to get home?"

"Because I wanted to surprise you and besides, you've already got so much to handle with your mayor campaign and all, I just thought it'd be nice for you to come home to" shrugging as she exhaled for the first time since her struggle began with those damn demonic boxes.

"I love you for thinking that, really, I do. But I'd prefer it if I didn't come home to my girlfriend injuring herself and potentially spending time in the hospital. Anyways, you've got so much more stuff than I do on your plate and it certainly doesn't help when you seem very adamant on taking on more and more work so nobody else has to do it. Which, I know, is remarkable of you for you to think about the other members in your workplace, but it still doesn't justify that you're just adding more stress to your own shoulders and I know that since I work the kinks out in your back" pressing his forehead against hers, Oliver's eyes fluttered shut and just being within the cocoon of love and adoration with the woman he loved more than life itself. "Seriously, you are one of the most, if not _the _most selfless person I've ever met"

"I'm used to it and I wasn't going to injure myself, I would've stopped if it got too difficult for me" rolling her eyes as he leaned back and raised a pointed eyebrow at her obvious lie. "_Fine_, I probably would've ended up calling John or somebody"

"Well ouch, thanks for that" throwing her a quick dirty look before turning back to boxes, Oliver towered three of the boxes up on one another and took them downstairs. "Now, how about we work _as a team _to put these decorations up and _without injuring ourselves in the process_?!" he threw over his shoulder to Felicity as she brought down the last two remaining boxes, rolling her eyes again at the obvious protectiveness of her boyfriend as he had taken the three most heaviest boxes leaving her with the lightest ones.

_She was going to punish him for that_.

"Sounds like a plan"

…..

Wrapping tinsel around the support beams, using drawing pins to keep the decorations firmly in place, Felicity began twirling different colours round.

Dragging one of the stools that sat around the island to balance herself atop to do the higher regions, she threw a glance over her shoulder to make sure Oliver was still focused entirely on his task of setting up the stockings along the fireplace and other stuff, Felicity carefully placed her foot on top of the back of the seat but kept her other in the actual seat of the chair to make sure she doesn't overbalance again as she reached up higher, continuing on with her task.

She was solely concentrating on her own job that she didn't notice Oliver had finished and had seen her predicament until she felt two sets of arms banding round her upper thighs, her eyes snapping down to his much angrier facial expression.

"Don't you listen to me Felicity? You're going to get yourself hospitalised at this rate" biting out the words, Felicity raised an eyebrow at him as she climbed higher, Oliver's grip tightening further.

"Oh I listen Oliver, I just don't follow your _commands_. If I do get myself hurt, it's my own damn fault. It's what I used to tell my family when I was younger and it's what I'm telling you now" pinning in the last drawing pin through the body of the tinsel, Felicity moved to get down from the stool but Oliver was one step ahead of her and kicked the chair out of the way and slowly released his grasp on her legs enough so that she steadily slid down the front lengths of his body.

"Well _Felicity_, I care beyond you belief about you and I don't want you getting hurt and I would very much appreciate it if you didn't do anything else that was reckless with your own safety….._please_" controlling her descent even further so that she slid to a halt right in front of him so they were eye-level with one another, he made it so she couldn't move. "Promise me?"

"_Fine_, I promise I won't be reckless with my safety whilst putting up Christmas decorations while you or any else that you trust with my life aren't in the vicinity….you happy now?"

"_Ecstatic_" whispering out the word whilst placing a chaste kiss on his lips, Oliver lowered her the rest of the way to her own feet but continued to hold her within his arms tightly against his chest.

"Now can you let me go so we can continue putting up the decorations round the rest of the apartment?"

"Nope…you know what room we should decorate next? _Our bedroom_" not bothering to wait for her consent, Oliver snatched up a handful of the decorations and made for the stairs.

"Oliver!" gasping out his name in the midst of her laugh at just how lovey he truly was with her, Felicity knew before she had said his name that he wasn't going to be letting her go anytime soon.

"Fe-li-ci-ty. You know what would make a brilliant decoration for our bedroom? Mistletoe" whispering into her ear before chucking her onto the bed, Oliver covered her body with his own before she could even get around to moving as she bounced atop the covers. "There we go, right above where we sleep will do just perfectly" reaching up to drive the drawing pin with the mistletoe hanging just below them, Felicity tried to escape from beneath his toned body whilst he was distracted but it was effortless.

When it came to keeping her pinned down to the mattress, Oliver knew all the tricks of the trade to keep her beneath him so he was hardly worried when she began squirming about trying to find an exit point.

"Nice try honey but I'm keeping you here with me for as long as I want" leaning down to claim part of his prize, Felicity turned her head to the side at the last second so he ended up kissing her cheek instead, stoking at the growly, possessive beast that she resided within him since over the few months they were away travelling she had found every little point to access that beast inside him and she had so much fun doing so and this time was no different.

"Felicity" growling low into the skin of her neck, Felicity internally smirked at how this small action of refusing to let him kiss her properly was getting to him. "Felicity, _please_" no matter what he tried, she didn't budge an inch.

"You know I don't like being played Oliver" turning her face further into the pillows, her torso lifting up an inch from the mattress, Felicity could only listen to the grumbles vibrating against her body.

"_Felicity_, honey….baby, love of my life…._please_, I'm not playing you. Just let me-" trailing off his sentence as he tried and tried to kiss her, he finally gave up and buried his face into the skin of her neck.

"You said you wanted to decorate the bedroom and so far you've only put up mistletoe, it's not really decorated for Christmas _baby_" whining, Oliver collided his arousal into her heat, circling his hips against hers to hopefully get in one last attempt at throwing her off before diving in for the reward.

"If I decorate it _then_ can I kiss you?" reluctantly raising his head away from her neck to look down at her expression, judging just whether or not she truly was teasing him or if she meant it, Oliver's heart lifted and began thumping erratically when she turned her head slightly to look up at him and how her eyes had glazed over with lust.

"Depends on how much you get done"

"This is cruel Felicity"

"Oh I know"

Lifting himself from atop her, a position he craves to be right now once more but instead not talking and doing more _active _things with her, Oliver got to work on the decorations as Felicity carried up the much smaller tree, placing it on the desk to the side of their bed before decorating it with a multitude of decorations.

Stepping back to appreciate her handiwork, barely a moment passed before a set of strong arms wrapped around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder as he gazed upon the tree she'd set up on the side.

"It's beautiful" whispering lowly into her ear, Felicity tapped into all the experience of the past few years as part of the vigilante world she'd walked into and never left to try and bite off the shiver that tried to course through her body. "Can I have my kiss now?"

Giggling at how he didn't beat round the bush, she turned her head and laid a quick and light kiss on his cheek before looking to the tree once me.

"_Felicity_, you know that wasn't what I wanted or meant" whining into her neck, he trailed kisses up to the spot behind her earlobe that never failed to make her shiver and for the arousal to stake a claim on her body, hardening instantly and it didn't fail that now. "_Felicity_" whispering her name once more, Felicity internally whined before she rolled her eyes at her own self and turned in his arms, her hands going to cradle either side of his face as she kissed his deeply.

The moment she faced him, Oliver tightened his arms round her, wrapping one arm round the nape of her neck whilst the other locked her figure to his own as he turned them as one unit and navigated them to the bed, controlling their descent so he doesn't end up crushing her beneath his bulk as she jumped up and wrapped her legs round his hips to tease him further.

"Tease" muttering against her lips, Oliver made up for the lost time she had denied him the first time they were in this position, making up the distance instantly.

_Oh yeah for sure, this Christmas is going to be one to remember_.


	78. Every Picture Tells a Story

**Here's the sixth installment in the Christmas Advent Stocking-Fillers for you guys. I'm loving your reviews those of you are leaving for me, thank you, and I'm also loving uploading all of these. I swear they're giving me cavities just from writing them. XD  
**

**Please leave a review and tell me your thoughts x**

**Thanks and enjoy!**

"Why do we have to _physically_ go and buy a tree when we can simply get one from the internet or something? You know so we can spend a little longer in bed, something we don't often get a chance to do anymore with you owning a billionaire company and me running for mayor" practically whining to his girlfriend as they walked to 'Pinewood Valley' where they sold a range of different Christmas trees, Oliver slumped his shoulders in defeat when Felicity shot him _that _look, the one that typically meant shut-up-because-you're-not-going-to-be-winning-this-one.

"Because since you've grown up as a rich boy who doesn't _go _and get his own tree, you seriously have missed out on one of the most favourite traditions Christmas has to offer. When I was younger I remember my mum taking me out to get our own tree and I absolutely loved it every time we went because it was the whole taking in the scent of Christmas, all the ranging smells of the trees combining was amazing. Although sometimes it could get quite cold, you really just can't replace that kind of tradition with just buying a tree online since it's nowhere near the same thing. You'll understand when we get there and begin looking"

Just taking the chance to gaze over at the extraordinary woman that he could now call his girlfriend, _his girl_, truly and not just in his dreams, Oliver slid his hand into hers and entwined their fingers before tugging her into his side so the lengths of their arms were pushed together.

Passing through the wooden arch with the name of the place carved into the oak, Felicity lead Oliver into the main cluster of trees all ranging from different heights and as the ceiling of the loft is quite high the height aspect wasn't a problem to be concerned about but it was actually getting it back was going to be the difficult part.

A few individual trees caught his eye, turning him away from his girlfriend to judge the height and quality set of each to find their perfect tree.

"Felicity….Felicity?" frowning as he spun around to get Felicity's attention, Oliver froze when she wasn't in his sights at all, nowhere in the position of where she had been previously. "Felicity!" trying to catch a peek of her bright pink beanie she had decided on to keep her ears from turning red from the biting cold that always snipped at her exposed skin whenever she was out in the weather, Oliver shoved down the panicky feeling that set in the pit of his stomach when he couldn't find her.

Basically skidding to a stop when he caught sight of her back, he took a deep breath when he came up behind her and bound his arms about her waist, resting his forehead on her right shoulder.

"Don't do that Felicity"

"Sorry Oliver, I guess I also should've mentioned how I always used to go off searching on my own quite a lot. It's a habit I've never shaken" running her glove-clad hands across his arms, Felicity turned her eyes back to the tree as she stepped back further into Oliver's chest, to which he merely tightened his grasp on her in response.

"That would've been nice to know, to warn me but at least now I know for future reference" just taking a few more moments to revel in her tucked in within the circle of his arms, Oliver gazed up to the tree they stood before and paused. "….this one…" trailing off, he couldn't shake his gaze from the tree, an image flashing in his mind.

"Oliver, honey, you okay?" turning in his arms, Felicity saw his eyes glaze over with an in-awe look as he stared at the tree.

"It's just that this tree….it looks similar to the one I used to spend time near when I was on the island. Even when I was in hell…I just wanted _something _to lighten the time there that I had to spend and as I always loved Christmas, I looked for a sort of Christmas tree to use and there was this one that…..actually reminds me of you" breaking his gaze to smile down at Felicity, Oliver cupped one of her cheeks. "…it was so much more different from the others, like it stood out from the crowd. It was so strong even if it seemed so fragile, so delicate. I decorated it with pine cones and things I found in the forest while I thatched together a star and put it at the top and just spent…so long just sat in front of it and when it turned dark, the moonlight caught the branches and it basically just _lit up_. I guess you could call it my own tradition of sorts that I repeated for the following four years before finally returning to Starling City after being rescued from the island by those fishermen"

"Well, would you like to get this one?" pushing to the balls of her feet, Felicity pressed a kiss to the underside of his jaw.

"It'd be _perfect_" leaning down to lay a chaste kiss on her lips, he couldn't help but smile before looking back up at the tree.

"I told you nothing beats the tradition of choosing out your own tree" frowning down at her when she smiled knowingly up at him, Felicity bound her own arms round his waist and rested her chin on his chest. "Something my mum told me with picking out a tree is that the best ones are the ones that you can relate to. So there's a story behind the picture"

"You knew" glancing down at the woman in his arms, Oliver finally figured out the secret she had been keeping that she hadn't told him. He found his own way.

She always knew.

"Come on, now we pay for it" smiling up at him, she ducked out of his arms and gently gripped the middle of the tree while Oliver lifted the base.

…

Having tied it to the top of Felicity's car she had bought after beginning as the CEO in Star City, the couple drove it home and carried it up to the loft and placed it beside the fireplace so it stood right in front of the window panels.

Washing their hands and eating a quick dinner, they both decided on decorating the tree tomorrow as they were kind of tired themselves from spending so long tree shopping.

"So what other traditions are there I can look forward to?" Oliver questioned as they both lay in bed with her head resting on top of his heart, a position he always loved her lying in as the connection between them was there.

"The ones you create yourself…" murmuring into the skin of his chest, Felicity slowly drifted off to sleep so she missed the shining beacon of a smile Oliver wore in that moment at the prospect that he could do that now with somebody that had been there as support since the first time he met her, a moment even Felicity didn't know about as only he knew the secret first original meeting when she made him smile when he didn't think he could.

"…goodnight baby" closing his eyes as he kissed her temple, Oliver began to follow her into the realm of sleep where dreams met him with images of them sitting on the couch as their children opened their Christmas presents, surprise and awe possessing their face.


	79. Incorporated In More Ways Than One

**Here's the seventh installment in the Christmas Advent Stocking-Fillers for you guys and I know I'm probably like a repeating record but thank you all _so much _for the support you're all giving to me! Apologises this one is on the later side but at least I uploaded. One of the reviews that I read talked about how they wanted me to include Felicity's religion and so I know Hanukkah actually started yesturday evening but just pretend the holiday ran a little later 3  
**

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**Thanks and enjoy!**

"Oliver, what are you doing?" turning his head to glance behind him at his girlfriend who stood just inside the entrance with her handbag dangling from her wrist and a bunch of papers cradled to her chest, Oliver threw her a quick smile before sliding the Menorah into the centre of the mantelpiece.

"Hey honey, glad you're home" automatically taking her bag from her and planting the pile of paperwork he knew she was going to finish before he could do anything to stop her on the island in the kitchen, Oliver leaned down and laid a quick kiss to her lips, not being able to help the smirk at her surprise of what he's done. "What? Do you honestly think I've forgotten that you're Jewish? Look, I know that this year you've decided to take part in the tradition that runs in _my _family but this year I wanted to also celebrate the tradition running in _your _family. So I've decided to incorporate the two together this year and I was actually waiting for you to get home to light the first candle"

"Oliver Queen, have I ever told you how much I love you"

"You certainly have but by all means I wouldn't say no to you reminding me" smiling in adoration up at her boyfriend she thought couldn't get any more perfect, Felicity rose to her tip toes to press a kiss against his lips, to which he responded eagerly with deepening it further. "…thank you" pulling back, Felicity exhaled her gratitude as their foreheads rested against each other.

"You're more than welcome, now do you want to light it?" taking the box of matches from their place beside the Menorah on the mantelpiece, Felicity lit the first branch, watching the flames begin to dance before her. "Happy Chrismukkah Oliver" whispering into his cheek as he stepped forward to wrap his arms around her and rest his head atop her shoulder, watching the now lit candle light up the darkened loft, Oliver couldn't help but turn his head into the side of her neck as though it would bring him closer to her in the process.

"Happy Chrismukkah Felicity" slowly tugging her backwards and he took careful steps Oliver brought them both towards the tree. "I think it's time to decorate the tree you know"

"Right before that idea though, I want to show you something I had made which I now is actually quite sappy or cliché but I think it was a good idea in the moment when I saw something today and my mind put two and two together and resulted with these, which are actually quite cute"

"Felicity, if it's something _you've _made or had customised, then how could I _not _love them?"

Smiling in response, Felicity moved to where Oliver had placed her handbag and pulled out a gift box that he knew couldn't contain any jewellery items since it was far too big in height and width to do so.

"Happy Chrismukkah Oliver….they're something to put on the tree, so they're not quite Christmas presents in a sense"

Taking the box gently from her hands, Oliver slowly lifted the lid off the box to reveal a tree ornament that made his breath catch at the sight of it delicately laying in the padding.

Cautiously threading his middle finger through the red ribbon hoop at the top, Oliver lifted the decoration up to bring it eye-level with his face.

Sparking away as if a thousand fireflies, right of him hung an ornament of a couple decorating a tree together, both their names on top of the Santa hats they both wore, the words 'Our First Christmas' gracing the bottom.

"So, what's the verdict?"

"I love it" replying almost breathlessly as he gazed upon the woman who he held so much love for, Oliver gathered her into his chest as the ornament stayed sandwiched between their stomachs, his left arm keeping her firmly against him, his face tucked into the crook of her shoulder.

…...

As they decorated the tree, laughing all the way when Oliver managed to get himself tangled up in the lights as Felicity wove the tinsel round the surface of the tree, criss-crossing over with different colours, Oliver made sure to place the gifted personalised decoration where it wouldn't shatter if it fell down, instead would fall into a nest below it of artificial snow to bring the image of the 'White Wonderland' to life.

Lifting Felicity to enable to her firmly fit the star atop the tree, Oliver slowly slid her down his body, pausing to whisper in her ear.

"You do realise you've just set off another lot of traditions off? With every milestone in our lives, we'll add to our tree every year"

Taking possession of her hands, Oliver brought her to rest against his chest as she began giggling when Christmas music began playing on his phone which featured _apparently _a list of Christmas carols and music but it wasn't the music they focused on intently, it was the gleam of love that were located deep within each other's eyes, housing a love so strong and powerful they ended up dancing the entire night away in one another's arms as the wind whistled outside their home.


	80. Overhead

**Here's the eighth installment in the Christmas Advent Stocking-Fillers for you guys and sorry about how late I'm uploading this one and I know it's technically not _as _Christmasy like the others but still, I thought I'd mix it up a little.  
**

**Please leave a review and tell me your thoughts x**

**Thanks and enjoy!**

_Focus, focus, focus…easy does it, one at a time. _

Practically clinging to the side railing of the steps leading up to her work station-platform in the centre of the room, Felicity breathed in sync with her footsteps as she carefully lowered herself into her chair, thanking her lucky stars that the new lair was completely empty of any members of their new team.

A few minutes ago she had been walking to Oliver's office, _the part of him not being there being something she hadn't begun thanking until she had gotten into the office_, when she had unexpectedly slipped on some black ice and she hadn't been able to get her feet back under her again before she fell onto her arse and smashed the back of her head against the hard concrete.

Pausing for a few moments to just make sure nothing unfortunate had fallen upon her like her head being split open, Felicity tried to push herself to her feet but her legs had quickly buckled beneath her as her vision blurred, her right heel slipping on the ice once more, and had pushed her back to the cold concrete once more.

Working slowly and carefully, using all of her surroundings to her advantage since her lack of one of her primary senses was currently failing her, Felicity managed to get herself into the lair without slipping or potentially causing herself any more injuries.

Reaching to the back of her head, she winced and flinched away from her own hand when she applied even the most lightest of touches the skin barely even meeting the bump on the back of her head.

_God it was like the whole van debacle again at the end of the second year working for the 'Arrow' cause. _

"…definitely not planning on doing that again anytime soon…" muttering to herself, she rooted through her bag to find her makeup mirrors, her backup in case of rainy days always being present and this was _definitely _pouring, and hissed at the bump as she laid the mirror in front of her on the desk and pushing her hair to the side to get an unobstructed view of her injury. "Oh brilliant, just goddamn _fantastic_. Just please don't let them find out" whispering under her breath as she heard the elevator going, already knowing it was bringing down the rest of the team including a certain _over-protective boyfriend_.

_…here we go_.

Apparently the rest of the team had engaged in a conversation regarding Thea's idea of getting everybody together for Christmas day as a big 'Arrow' family, since it was something that brought them all together, Oliver wearing a slightly _please-help-me _look on his face as his little sister commanded the centre of attention as she explained why it was a good idea and that they needed something a little more normal than what they've experienced in the past few months, hell the past few _years_ as well. She even mentioned something about finding and dragging Roy back from wherever the hell he was, probably in NYC now as Jason or something.

_That would be amazing to see Scarecrow again…_

"Hey babe" greeting her as soon as he spotted her sat in her typical place over by the computers, to which she instantly answered back, ducking away from Speedy gladly to lay a chaste kiss on her lips, Oliver smiled into her lips, planting one last kiss on her nose before leaning back up to face the rest of the group once more with his hand firmly on her shoulder.

"Felicity, what do you think?" staring at the younger Queen as she watched all the members of the team turn to her, Felicity knew her eyes had widened at the sudden burst of attention.

"…I don't know, I mean it could be nice for the team to be all in one place especially for Roy but at the same time there's the question of if people want to spend Christmas on their own. Like if Diggle and Lyla want their first Christmas with Sara that isn't spent trying not to focus on previous events, a proper Christmas, alone as a family or with the rest of the group….and etc. really" letting the ramble just fall out of her mouth, Felicity shrugged at the end of it all saying she really wasn't bothered if they spent it as a group or not, both she knew were going to be incredible on their own.

"Felicity's right, it would be nice to spend time as an entire and complete family to basically celebrate what we've accomplished together as a team but everyone has their own personal lives as well. So there's that…" trailing off, Oliver pulled up a chair to sit beside his girlfriend.

"I think Felicity's pretty much right about a lot of things Oliver" Diggle chuckled at the logic presenting itself in front of them all, the options being placed on the table as the conversation continued, members of the team having to raise their voice to make themselves heard over the chatter of the others.

…

"So how are you today, I haven't seen you since this morning when I had to leave in quite a rush because of that meeting of the council"

"Oliver it's part of becoming Mayor, you _have _to take part in _those meetings _babe, there's no choice about it, period" laughing back her response as she spun in her chair to face him, shouldering off the nausea from the abrupt movement her head really didn't seem to want to agree with.

"Still, I don't like leaving in the midst of the morning. They always want to seem to ruin morning cuddles with you, it just makes me more adamant on wanting to stay beside you" pouting, Oliver pulled Felicity up to her feet and into his chest, wrapping his arms loosely around her waist.

"Oliver, quit pouting you big baby, they'll never _ruin _or end morning cuddles, it's just how much you want to stay in bed that's driving your argument. Although it's not nice waking up sometimes without you there and instead a note or something, it's always _amazing _waking up to you as my personal furnace in the mornings and it always will be" resting her chin on his chest, her heart thumped against her ribcage twice as hard at _that look _he gave to her then, that look that's complete with just how much love and adoration he held for her.

"No arguments here" reaching to the back of her head to hold her against him, Oliver leaned down to kiss her when she hissed and tossed her face to the side away from him and into his shoulder and away from his hand, making him frown at the action. "Felicity? What's wrong, you okay?"

"Yep, yep, I'm fine…_hopefully_" muttering the last word under her breath, Felicity bolted her eyes shut tight as she willed the pain bashing around in her skull to stop as Oliver lowered his hand to the nape of her neck as the team wore slightly confused expressions, turning their attention to the woman obviously in pain in the arms of her boyfriend who visibly didn't know what to do.

"_Felicity_…" taking his normal tone of _don't-lie-to-me_, Oliver slipped a hand round her waist, drawing her into his chest as he let the other trail around the place on the back of her head where she had moved away from his touch, something about it seeming off to him. "What happened?"

Moaning in slight agony when the pain just _wouldn't stop_, Felicity basically clung onto the material of Oliver's shirt, his arms both banding round her and tightening in response.

"Felicity, _talk to me_" she knew that tone without mistake, it was the one he used when something was wrong with her and he either didn't know what it was, how to help or what to do, an element she hated because it just made her want to hug him and tell him everything would be alright, she knew he also hated when he couldn't and/or didn't know how to stop or help with the pain and how much pain that caused him right then.

"…_whoa_" murmuring as she opened her eyes, only to be greeted with the return of blurry eyes, the room not only spinning but going so blurry it was like the first time both her mum and her realised she needed glasses. "…not good"

"What?"

"Room spinning"

Immediately without pausing, Oliver scooped her up into his arms and sank into the seat behind her he had vacated a few minutes ago, the rest of the team moving to stand and crouch in front of where Oliver sat with her in his lap.

"Felicity, are you going to tell us what happened to you or am I going to have to look at the CCTV footage or just how you managed that bump on the back of your head" standing in front of her with his big trunk-like arms crossed over his chest, Diggle rose that big brother eyebrow at her as she briefly glanced his direction, his comment causing Oliver's arms to tighten in response.

"…I slipping on black ice and banged my head on the concrete outside" finally relenting, mentally crossing her arms at how she was being babied _once again _just like the shooting when she had saved Sara and many times alike, Felicity would've rolled her eyes if she knew it wouldn't just cause her all the more pain.

Wordlessly retrieving an ice bag for her, Thea passed it to Oliver who carefully applied it to the wound as Diggle ran over the CCTV tape of when she arrived, throwing a glare back at her from her word choice of _'bang' _when he knew it was more of a _'smash_', Felicity just wished for her bed right now so she could go to sleep and wake to a time when they wouldn't act like she'd just amputated one of her limbs or was about to die whenever she got hurt.

…

Cradling the ice bag to her head as Oliver drove them both to the loft, Felicity basically purred when the coldness soothed the burn still roaring at the back of her skull, not noticing the car stopping and Oliver opening her side, gathering her into his arms once more.

Upon feeling him pause in his movements, Felicity was about to ask if something was wrong when Oliver's lips fell onto hers and basically momentarily devoured them before pulling back in need of a breath.

"Wha…"

"Mistletoe, can't ignore the tradition despite the current situation" grinning down at her but the part of him that was annoyed she hadn't instantly told him about her injury when he had gotten into the lair being visible in his face, the undertone of anger running beneath his skin as he continued towards their bed.

Cautiously lowering her to her side of the bed, proceeding to strip her from her work clothes and into her PJs which were basically his shirt and a pair of purple flannel trousers, Oliver tucked the duvet in around her, taking the ice pack to replace it with a medical ice pack that she could actually sleep with, he brought up some of his herb tea and some light snacks before settling in beside her.

Placing his head on her pillow, nestling his head into her shoulder as he laid half covering her body as the TV played Christmas movies on repeat _as it was Christmas 24 so what do you expect _giving her something to divert her attention from her boyfriend not actually sleeping beside her but it stopped her mind from overthinking the entire thing and aspects she'd rather not.

_Like how freakishly quiet Oliver was in that moment_.

"Promise me that if this happens again, you'll tell me and not suffer in silence?" asking her without evening looking up at her, Oliver just cuddled further into the side of her body.

"I promise I won't let myself suffer in silence Oliver, only if you promise me the same thing" peeking down at him, Oliver moved his head so that he could gaze up at her.

"I promise" hesitating before leaning up on his right forearm, Oliver cupped her cheek even though his eyes she knew went straight to the back of her head.

"Hey, I'm okay…promise. It's just a bump I'll be fine in the morning, sleep"

Nodding, he returned to his initial position as she felt him steadily drift off, her not far behind as the Christmas movies continued playing throughout the night, her dreams taking her sky high.


	81. With Horror Comes Joy

**Here's the nineth installment in the Christmas Advent Stocking-Fillers for you guys and sorry I didn't upload it yesterday but my day was busy so I couldn't upload it. So here it is now.  
**

**Please leave a review and tell me your thoughts x**

**Thanks and enjoy!**

"Ollie, it's happening" Thea whined as she entered, calling over to her brother sat on the couch with Felicity against his side, his arm wrapped loosely around her waist as they watched one of the multiple Christmas Hallmark movies.

"I was wondering when this would begin" leaning his head back against the couch, Felicity frowning not knowing what the hell they were both on about but it sounded like they were about to withstand torture. "Let's just get this over and done with"

"Do I want to even know what you two are talking about?" put the thought out there to the Queen siblings, Oliver just simply whined, making her insides melt at the thought of how he did that last night when she refused to let him kiss her since it kept using the mistletoe cliché all day.

"Our Aunt sends us jumpers every year for Christmas since the day we were born. It's our own tradition that's never left the family _no matter how much we hate it_"

"Aw, that sounds lovely. Wait so why the pouting and whining then?"

"Because they're _awful_ and _hideous, _and the worst part is every year we have to send her photos of us wearing them!" Thea replied, holding her gift box like it was a bowl of vomit. "…and it _certainly _didn't help when Ollie here abandoned me for five blasted years and got away with not wearing them"

"Hey, it wasn't intentional…but that's probably one of the only positive things about that whole hell" muttering whilst lifting the lid off his box, Oliver unfolded the jumper letting Felicity get a good look at it as Thea did the same, them both passing each other a pained expression before sliding them on.

"…oh" sucking her lips into her mouth, Felicity bit off the urge to laugh at just how truly bad they were and how visibly both Queens hated them. "_They don't look that bad"_

"Now say that without lying" glaring at her, growling when she couldn't hold back the laugh anymore and burst out laughing, all he could do was glare and growl to try and keep up his image as 'The Big Bad Vigilante' while his girlfriend buried her face into one of the cushions on the couch to hide how much she was laughing, her skin highlighted red. "You're not helping, Felicity"

"Oh God, _I can't_, it's-" cutting herself off as another spout of laughter rung out in the loft, Oliver simply crossed his arms as Thea huffed and turned her eyes through the glass looking out to the city.

Grabbing Thea's phone and thumbing on the camera, Felicity giggled as the two tried not let their hatred towards the jumpers show through too much, their intention obvious.

Sending the image as an attachment, Felicity froze when she saw who she'd just sent the message to, bursting out laughing again but this time worse when she imagined their reactions.

"What?" biting out the word, Oliver just crossed his arms again.

"Oops" passing the phone off to Thea, Felicity moved pointedly behind the couch as they both looked at the recipients of Diggle, Roy, Sara and Laurel, looking up in terror and anger to Felicity. "_Sorry_"

Just as he was about to stride over to her, the look of his intention covering his face, the door to the loft opened as Diggle let himself in with the key they'd given him, freezing as he took in the scene in front of him with a smirk on his face.

"Diggle, thank God" Felicity laughed out as she hid behind his bulk as Oliver looked at her then in glazed over lust and anger, her knowing it wasn't going to be ending well for her once they were left on their own. "Protect me"

Chortling out his amusement as Diggle properly moved between the couple as Oliver tried to get at Felicity neither Felicity nor Diggle could stop laughing for the life of them as Thea actually sent the image to their Aunt, looking up to find Diggle acting as the mediator between Oliver and Felicity.

"You know it's a good look for you _Green Arrow_" looking down to the Christmas tree themed jumper complete with sparkly baubles and tinsel and presents beneath the tree, Oliver took the moment as John lacked concentration to lung at his girlfriend, banding his arms round her to yank her back to him where he scooped her up into his arms. "I just came over to ask you something Oliver but I'm just going to go before I end up having to wear whatever monstrosity _that _is both you and Thea are currently wearing. Good luck Felicity" quickly throwing over his shoulder, Diggle returned to his family sharing a good laugh with Lyla at the image Felicity accidentally sent to them all.

What both Felicity and Oliver failed to realise was that Thea still had the camera open as he was making her giggle and squirm in his hold as he rubbed his scruff against the skin of her neck and shoulders, snapping pictures of the two and sent them to her Aunt, adding a message before locking her phone and joining the two with discarding the jumpers in the most fun way possible.

They all wondered what John and Laurel's reactions were going to be like when they unwrapped their presents to find the two jumpers on Christmas Day.

_Thank for the jumpers, we love them x You might have another member of the family soon to knit for!_


	82. Blanketed Warmth

**Here's the tenth installment in the Christmas Advent Stocking-Fillers for you guys, now I'm up-to-date with them finally. Just so you know...I cried while writing this.  
**

**Please leave a review and tell me your thoughts x**

**Thanks and enjoy!**

Sighing quietly to not disturb the two in the kitchen, Felicity shifted onto either foot continuously.

That morning when Thea had walked into the loft again saying that there was another tradition that both Thea and Oliver did every Christmas together and that was baking Christmas cookies together, they'd been doing it since they both found a passion in baking since they were younger when Moira had stumbled upon it when she asked them to help Raisa bake cookies for the party they were having the following day.

Taking in the fact that when it came to cooking it wasn't really her forte, she was adamant on _not _trying out baking in case things went just as bad but watching the two work together so well, laughing when they both got covered in flour, a painful pang hit her right in the chest teasing her with the image of her fucking it all up.

Slowly and quietly sneaking up to the bedroom to not signal both vigilantes of her movement, Felicity set up the TV and bundled herself in the blanket she's had since she was a young girl, it had helped with the whole Cooper problem and once upon a time even helped with when she and the team thought Oliver was dead last year when he went to fight Ra's. It never failed in providing her with comfort whenever she needed it and was like two arms wrapping round her and holding her within the cocoon of safety she's always felt.

When she was around five years old her Aunty on her father's side had gifted her a present of a far-too-big blanket that practically dwarfed her and made it look like she was drowning in it and the moment her parents wrapped her up in it, she'd fallen deeply in love with it and refused to part from it.

Lying on the bed with one of her pillows beneath her head, Felicity began watching an endless amount of Christmas movies in an attempt to make her forget how left out she felt and somehow perk her back up once more, wrapping her blanket even more round her body so the only stretch of skin that was visible was the top of her head down to her eyes, she blinked past the bank of tears at the movie in front of her.

….

Carefully lowering the last iced biscuit onto the cooling rack Thea had laid out on the workspace of the island, Oliver shared a smile with his sister before turning to where he expected Felicity to be.

"Hey, Felicity do you-" halting in his words, he frowned when his girlfriend was nowhere to be found.

_She normally loved trying one of the finished products of his cupcakes and baked goods, so where was she now? Did she head upstairs…then why didn't he hear her, or sense that she wasn't there, he always did?_

Leaving the kitchen with Thea in tow, they both split up and searched the entirety of downstairs then switching to begin the search upstairs, the two worked in tandem to find the blonde.

Stopping in his tracks in the doorframe to their bedroom, Oliver half smiled and frowned at why Felicity would be up here instead of downstairs with him and Thea, confusion taking over at the sight of that blanket she loved wrapping herself in whenever she just needed the support.

Moving to the side her figure was curled up beneath her blanket, Oliver sat on the edge of the bed and just took it all in, how perfect and beautiful she was in that one moment without even realising, smiling as he lowered the edges of the blanket that hid her face from all visibility.

"Felicity" whispering as her lowered his face to near hers, she murmured unintelligible words as she nudged the material of her blanket with her nose, cuddling against it just making him smile all the more. "Felicity, wake up"

"_Nooooooo" _as her face screwed up, Oliver couldn't help himself but place a lingering kiss on her nose and forehead, closing his eyes as he revelled in her warmth, opening his eyes to meet hers.

"Hi" when he got an exhale of breath in response, his smile grew. "Looks comfy in there, is there any room for me?"

"Always" at her response, Oliver cradled her cheek as she leaned into his touch closing her eyes in the process and placed another kiss on her lips before moving round behind her and sliding in beneath the blanket.

Stripping out of his clothing in process when he felt her naked flesh against his jeans, he cuddled up against her back, curling his larger body round her delicate form, banding his arm tight round her waist and tucking his hand beneath the skin under her breast.

"Hmm, don't think I'm letting you skip out on baking either. Me and you are baking another set tomorrow night" whispering into the skin behind her ear, Oliver nuzzled the cartilage of her ear where her industrial piercing always claimed every day, exhaling a breath against her skin when he felt a shiver rose her skin to goosebumps.

He always loved when they cuddled naked, not anything separating them from the other just purely themselves together in that moment they shared, it was one of his favourite things they did in their relationship, the general thing of just _being _with her and being able to do all these things as his top favourite.

Leaning against the frame of the bedroom, Thea peered into the secret moment of the two people that loved each other more than life itself, knowing a lot of people weren't aware of just how domestic her brother could be.

There was only one person he was himself with and that was the woman who had agreed to be his wife in the life they already shared with one another as though they were made for one another.

Smiling at the adoration being emitted from the pair of them, Thea left the couple to one another as she cascaded down the stairs with her phone against her ear, calling the one person she wanted by _her _side with every part of her being.

"…Roy" breathing out the tears of just how much she missed him from her everyday life, Thea stayed strong.

"Thea, it's nice to hear your voice again" not noticing the tears silently streaming down her face, Thea took a seat on the couch, curling in on herself as she just listened.

"I miss you Roy"

"Me too Thea, I miss you too"

"…I'm just calling because…_Roy-_" she could hear the own break in her voice, "-is there any chance of you being able to spend Christmas here…with _us_?" the true meaning behind her words weren't lost to either one of them.

"I'd love to Thea and I will, _I'd love nothing more_"

"…I love you"

"I love you, I'll see you soon okay. _I'll be there_" holding back the onslaught of tears until she heard the click of the call ending, knowing he couldn't talk that long, Thea grasped hold of one of the pillows and cried all the pain she held for just how much Roy had sacrificed for his own family he'd found in the team without a shadow of a doubt and how much she missed him by her side.

_Just a little longer_.


	83. All I Want For Christmas Is You

Looking out over the City as the lights sparkled with the moonlight and stars glistening above, Felicity exhaled, smiling so much that her cheeks began aching at the sight before her as her breath quickly turned to ice before disappearing into the night.

She couldn't believe her life so far.

From going from an everyday I.T girl to an EA (_no matter how much she still shuddered at the thought of how much her insides churned from the position pulling her back from her full potential_) then straight to VP before shooting to the top as the CEO of the company she, once upon a time, never thought she could possibly get into because of her age and limited experience. It all made her feel like floating at just how far she's come from her own capability.

When she was back in MIT edging closer to being released into the world to stand on her two legs and finding her own way in the world, Felicity honestly dreaded it whilst being so excited for the changes that would transfix her life from being _that girl from Vegas _into something else, something more…something she always dreamed of when she younger.

She never would've thought that _this _could possibly happen to her then to add the curveball that was Oliver Queen and the endless possibilities that followed, _God _it still made her speechless just living her life. If she had never met Oliver then she never would've met all the amazing people she had become friends with, never would've had the opportunity to do what she did every day…just helping people in the world, even if it was from behind a set of computers, she still felt like she was making a difference.

Giggling, feeling like she was a kid again, Felicity practically skipped back into the loft, turning up the Christmas music that was playing on the radio.

_I don't want a lot for Christmas  
There is just one thing I need  
I don't care about the presents  
Underneath the Christmas tree_

Letting the beat guide her body, Felicity danced in front of the sizzling fireplace, taking pleasure in the moment that housed so much joy as she laughed at her own self jamming out in front of the mantelpiece, grasping hold of stockings that she was planning on putting up today since she didn't have to go into work today.

_I just want you for my own  
More than you could ever know  
Make my wish come true  
All I want for Christmas is you, yeah._

Bobbing her head along with the backing of the track, Felicity swished her hips to the sides along to the beat as she twirled around singing along, something she only did when she was alone since she was younger, a habit she's never really gotten rid of or changed.

_I don't want a lot for Christmas  
There is just one thing I need  
And I don't care about the presents  
Underneath the Christmas tree._

Pinning up each of their stockings along the front side of the mantelpiece, Felicity was so focused on the song jamming out in the apartment and putting up all the stockings, she didn't even realise she had gained an audience until it was too late.

Upon arms wrapping around her and bringing her back into a broad and firm chest, scruff nuzzling against her neck, Felicity stopped singing and the embarrassment rose within her, heating her cheeks until she knew she was brighter than a tomato.

"Having fun?" laying her head back against his shoulder, she hid her face in the side of his neck, feeling his own amusement brimming in his chest before it let loose, rumbling his strong figure behind her. "You really do need to work on your self-awareness of your surroundings. I never knew you had such a good voice, how come you don't sing often?"

Smiling when she instead of speaking her response aloud muttered it into the skin of his neck, Oliver gently tugged her round to face him, cradling her face between both his callused palms.

"What was that?"

"I said I don't sing unless I'm alone, I just don't like singing in front of people"

"Baby, your voice is amazing. Doesn't beat your hacking abilities but it's a close second"

"You're just saying that because you're scared I'll kick your arse otherwise"

"Not true" throwing him a pointed look that made him break their eye contact, Oliver grinned at just how well she knew him right down to his bones, even with parts _he _didn't fully understand she knew like the back of her hand. "Alright, maybe a little but it still doesn't make me wrong about your voice being amazing"

"Oliver Queen, have I recently told you how much I love you?" smirking at her attempt to cut the conversation short about her singing out in the open and in front of an audience, Oliver couldn't ever get old or tired of her saying those three little words he had waited what felt like a millennium for.

"Hmm, say that again"

"_I love you Oliver_"

"Love you too" mouthing the words against her lips, he smiled widely as he nipped at her lips, comfortably falling back into just how much he loved being intimate with Felicity whenever he wanted.

Before he knew it they were full out making out in front of the fireplace beneath the mistletoe he conveniently had placed overhead that he may or may not use to its full maximum whenever he possibly can.

"Don't think that I'm not going to hawk you about this until you spill, and you know I have my ways of making you talk" ridding himself of his jacket, Oliver tossed the material over to the couch, not having to look to know where it landed.

"You mean _what you think _are your ways of making me talk, which in fact fail _every time _because I'm just not affected by that vigilante-assassin-hooded-person-scaring-the-love-of-God-into-you thing that you've tried _so many times_? You still haven't learned from _btw_" tilting her head to the side like she did all those years ago, Felicity brushed her fingers down the nape of his neck, tugging at the neckline of his shirt to bring him all the more closer to her, something she knew and took so much advantage of affected him greatly and made him struggle for concentration.

She knew her plan was working by the way his eyes never left her lips, his hands seemingly locked firmly in the dip of her back just above the curve of her arse.

"So my question, _Mr Queen_, is…have you actually learned from all your previous mistakes?" slowly sliding out from his grasp and from beneath the mistletoe, smirking when she heard the whine that left his throat as he watched her move further away from him, Felicity steadily backed towards the staircase.

When he made no move to respond, Felicity was just about to turn and ascend the staircase when his arms found their place round her waist and yanked her back over to their previous position in front of the fireplace, his mouth falling upon hers before she could even so much as open her mouth to speak.

Pulling back for breath, Oliver once more cradled her figure to his own form, seemingly trying to solidify himself to her.

"Just, stay for a while" even with his brief words, she knew they held more than some would ever understand, the unspoken ones being passed between them in their little bubble.

Bringing his lips back down to hers once more, the laugh bubbled up in her throat, pulling back a smidge to let it mingle between the two of them "I'm still not singing in front of you"


	84. Classics Never Die

Tossing her head back against the arm of the couch when the door to the loft slammed shut as a frustrated huff sounded from her boyfriend, Felicity peeked round the back to see Oliver reaching up to undo the knot of his tie before tossing the piece of material over the back of one of the stools surrounding the island.

"Bad day at work?" asking as she felt him move towards the stairs, instantly knowing how whenever he comes home he instantly loves to change into casual clothes before joining her wherever she was in the house if she was home before him, which on most days it seemed to be.

"It's final, I think I've developed an allergy to paperwork" sighing as he practically collapsed back against the couch, settling Felicity's feet down in his lap, Oliver finally let out the breath he's felt that he's been holding since the moment he walked into his office this morning. "I have no idea how much pieces of individual paper Alex had me sign for him tonight, then my assistant added _even more _to that pile with projects they needed my approval on…and it's just _exhausting_" exhaling deeply as he lifted both feet to the coffee table in front of him, he crossed his ankles as he peered open one eye to see what film Felicity was watching.

"Before you say it, Home Alone _is _a Christmas movie and if you dare diss it I'm going to stain every single piece of your leather hot pink. It has always remained one of my top favourite movies that I've ever watched" throwing him a pointed look Felicity tried her chances mentally telling him to keep his mouth shut.

_Why does she even try?_

Opening his mouth to probably begin insulting the movie, the series that she has fallen in love with since she first watched it and ended up in peals of laughter, Felicity rose to her feet, tugging her feet free of his grasp before he could even say so much as a word she knew she would get him back for.

"Nope"

"Felicity, I didn't even say anything!" arguing as he trailed after her to their bedroom, knowing he would never be able to get away with the lie he was trying to make her believe. "I wasn't going to 'diss' your film!"

"Fine then, what film do _you _want to watch then?" turning to look at him as he passed through the doorway, stepping up to her.

"I just…I thought we could just watch a classic Christmas film tonight is all, something I always loved watching 'The Christmas Carol' when I was younger, you know pre-island"

Narrowing her eyes at him, Felicity shrugged "…fine" when he looked at her curiously at how easily she seemed to agree, Felicity smirked at him. "_If _you agree to watch the entire series of Home Alone with me tomorrow"

Sighing in exasperation, Oliver shuffled them both toward the bed, making sure to put on the film before settling beside her.

"I'm going to take that as a yes"

"As long as I'm with you" resting his head on her chest just above her breasts, Oliver cuddled close to her, tangling their legs together as he watched the movie begin.


	85. Sparkles and Shimmers

**So I know I'm kind of late on these updates but don't worry, I'll get myself up-to-date and back on track. **

**Hope you enjoy and don't forget to leave a review and tell me your thoughts. **

**Thanks and enjoy x**

"Oliver, where are we?" asking as she grasped hold of Oliver's hand that she had been clinging onto the moment he had originally blindfolded her, Felicity tried moving her head round to follow the sounds that reverberated through her mind.

"I told you, it's a secret so as secrets tend to go, I can't tell you" even without seeing his face then she rolled her eyes, typical Oliver behaviour for you right there. "Alright, we're here. You can take off that blindfold" whipping off the scarf she had worn that morning into work since the weather had more of a colder bite to it, Oliver had initially thought it was a great tool to hide the love marks he adored laving on the skin of her neck, before she had set him straight with threatening to stay at her work's private bedroom she knew Ray had previously used back when he was CEO.

_He hadn't liked that threat very much, shooting back from her neck like she'd burnt him those puppy-dog eyes glazing over his eyes in the way he thought would get him free passage back into her good books once more_.

Taking in the scene before her, Felicity was left speechless at the sight before her.

The ice rink was lit up with Christmas lights, leading her gaze straight to the central Christmas tree towering at a height gleaming in the moonlight as Christmas music played in the background, _Oliver having just pressed play on the music system_, lights bouncing off the ice creating such a magnificent scene almost as though from a true rom-com.

"Oliver, this is beautiful"

"Well a beautiful and remarkable woman deserves something that is almost a percentage as beautiful as she is" whispering to her as he bound his arms round her waist and laid his chin on her shoulder, bringing her as close to him as possible, Oliver murmured _'I love you' _into the skin of her cheeks before leading her towards where the skates were. "I know I haven't been able to spend _as many _days upcoming to Christmas with you as I'd like to, but that doesn't mean I don't want to miss out on the personal quality time I love so much spending with you and there's no chance of that happening. So for the entirety of this evening this rink, you, me and these skates are going to be the only ones here"

"You didn't have to do all this for me Oliver. I would've just liked watching a movie with you at home or something. You didn't have to go to so much trouble" smiling at her boyfriend-turned-fiancé Felicity laid her hands on the hard planes of his back as he frowned down at her.

"Felicity, _this _doesn't nearly counter everything you've done for me. All that you've sacrificed and shown me through just being by my side when I never knew I needed someone the most, always the one I can lean on…someone to talk to when the world feels like it's crumbling down around me, someone to trust to keep everything that I hold precious safe from _life_. Through it all, you've been by my side and there's nothing I could possibly do to ever thank you nearly enough for what you've done but that doesn't mean I'm not going to spend the rest of my life showing you just how much I love you" holding her tight against her, Oliver leaned down for one passionate kiss before pulling back, _since he knew if he got started he wouldn't want to stop_, and helping on her skates.

…

"How are you so good at this?" Oliver whined as his eyes locked onto his feet and how they were ever so slightly edging apart, causing him to lung for the side barrier, his gaze glancing up to his fiancée at the sound of her magical laughter as she glided across the ice like an expert.

"Mostly because when I was in college I dated this hockey player for the local team and he ended up giving me lessons, most of them ended up with me on top of him after practically clinging onto him once I lost balance. I did learn though and it was just something that sort of soothed me weirdly"

"Nice to know….are you trying to get me to picture my now-fiancée on the ice when she was younger on top of a guy she used to date?" grumbling to himself as he drug himself to a halt along the side, basically ready to tell himself to quit and get off the ice.

"Is someone jealous?" switching from skating forwards to back with a quick and smooth shuffle of her feet, Felicity brought herself to a stop right in front of her soon-to-be-husband.

"No" rolling her eyes at the _of-course-I'm-jealous-but-I'm-too-much-of-a-guy-to-admit-it _voice he used generally when she spoke of her past lov- boyfriends _(no matter what the word 'lovers' is still too creepy for her to use, even in her mind)_, Felicity stepped right up to him.

"You do realise that this guy wouldn't last a minute compared to you right?"  
Groaning in response as he lowered his head to her shoulder, Oliver used his strength to keep himself from falling on his arse on the ice as he collided his front with Felicity's, loving the warmth radiating through her clothing and seeping right into his skin.

"Also the fact that _that _guy that I _previously _dated in college isn't the guy that I'm going to be spending the rest of my life with either, there's only one man that I want to give that gift to and he's right in front of me"

"…then you say something like that and how can I stay mad?"

"Come on, trust me on this _husband_. Lean on me, I got you" smiling at him in the loving way she always did, Felicity held out her hands for him as she slowly pushed herself off backwards.

"Without doubt" whispering when his hands entwined with hers, Oliver put his full trust in her capabilities and let her guide him round the rink with ease, slowly easing into a groove as they moved with one another.

As Oliver turned his attention down to the blonde he considered his everything, he grasped her left hand and rubbed his thumb across the top of her engagement ring previously belonging to his mother, who he knew would've approved of falling in love for the first time in his life with Felicity Smoak.

"_My wife" _murmuring against the top of her head, Oliver closed his eyes as they both came to a slow stop in front of the tree central in the rink, his eyes only for her rather than his feet. "I can't wait until I can call you that whenever the hell I want, in the mornings when we wake up, calls in the middle of the day, signing off on the comms, the last thing at night…this is all I've wanted Felicity, _to be truly happy_"

"I think Christmas this year it going to be one to remember, the last Christmas I'll call you my fiancé while the next I can shopping for presents for my husband"

Flicking his gaze between her eyes and her lips, painted with the colour of the pen she had been chewing when he first properly met her, Oliver lowered his face before covering her lips with his own, eyes shutting at the sensations running through him at the feel of _this woman _in his arms, the one he was going to spend the rest of his life with.

Neither one of them knew for how long they spent in each other's arms on the ice, only returning back home when the bite of the cold got too much, Oliver not wanting Felicity to end up getting a cold this close to Christmas.


	86. Deck the Halls

Yawning as she stretched her arms over her head, arching her back instinctually, Felicity shifted deeper into the comfort of the couch cushions lining the seats and back as sounds came from the kitchen as Oliver placed his cookies into the oven.

He had a habit of doing that and it seemed the habit hadn't been lost during the months from when they were staying in Ivy Town when it was just them. Whenever he felt bored or like he wasn't doing anything, he would always either begin baking _whenever she was too tired to exercise other activities with him to keep him occupied _and they would just spend the rest of the night cuddled beneath the blanket eating whatever he had made.

Upon hearing a knock on the door, Felicity up on her feet before Oliver could get it before her, both of them were confused as to who it could be as they weren't expecting anybody tonight.

Grasping the doorknob and throwing open the door, she paused at the sight before her before a smile took over.

"Hey Oliver, come here" throwing over her shoulder with a smile, Felicity peeked around the open door at him as he made his way over, feeling his arm wrap around her waist like he always did.

"Who is it?" coming to a stop when he spotted the group stood in front of their doorway dressed in warm clothing with paper in front of them and smiles so bright they lit up the space around them, Oliver smiled as he settled in beside Felicity.

_Deck the halls with boughs of holly,  
Fa la la la la, la la la la.  
Tis the season to be jolly,  
Fa la la la la, la la la la. _

_Don we now our gay apparel, _

_Fa la la, la la la, la la la._

_Troll the ancient Yule tide carol,_

_Fa la la, la la la, la la la._

_See the blazing Yule before us,  
Fa la la la la, la la la la.  
Strike the harp and join the chorus.  
Fa la la la la, la la la la._

_Follow me in merry measure,  
Fa la la la la, la la la la.  
While I tell of Yule tide treasure,  
Fa la la la la, la la la la._

_Fast away the old year passes,  
Fa la la la la, la la la la.  
Hail the new, ye lads and lasses,  
Fa la la la la, la la la la._

_Sing we joyous, all together,  
Fa la la la la, la la la la.  
Heedless of the wind and weather,  
Fa la la la la, la la la la._

As the group led on to another carol and harmonised the hallway, Oliver cuddled Felicity closer to his side smiling down at her when their gazes locked, the two of them just enjoying the festive spirit burning bright.


	87. Dancing in the Snow

"Are you sure this is a good idea? You know what he's like when he's mad" Thea muttered as she, Felicity and Lyla all hid behind the brick wall currently serving them as their hiding position.

"He's been moody all day, I honestly have no idea what's gotten into him all of a sudden" muttering to the others, Felicity shifted her feet once she felt her feet dying beneath her body, thinking of all the moments earlier today when Oliver's been acting like a moody little kid again that can't have his own way and instead has a tantrum.

"Shh! Here they come!" whisper-yelling to the others, Thea settled in properly into her position to the side of the car, an aspect of being in a different position from the others that was probably going to come in the near-distant future.

"I don't care if I sound like I'm being unreasonable, we're not just going to dive head-first into the lion's den because one, they'll most likely be expecting that of us and two, that's where injuries could come into it"

"Now you're just making it sound much worse than it is!" Diggle argued, throwing his hands up in the air at the man _he really wanted to strangle right now _in front of him. "I didn't say that and you goddamn know it!"

"Diggle, just drop it!" watching as he spun round to face the older man, Lyla and Felicity winked knowingly at one another before moving to their places.

Nodding at the rest of them hiding, Felicity and Lyla both launched their snowballs, hitting their men right between their shoulder blades, catching them both off guard and making them both swing themselves round to see both women trying to breathe through peals of laughter.

Glaring at her, Oliver bent down to gather up two handfuls of snow when a noise took his attention from his fiancée and towards his sister as she got him in his side, making the now water _as it was instantly melted by his furnace-like body _drip into his trousers.

Taking off as soon as his balance was central once again, Oliver scooped up a large handful of snow on his way before launching himself off the bonnet of the car and right into Thea's forearms as she brought her arms up just in time to defend herself from the snow attack.

Retreating behind Lyla and Diggle as the two went at their own snowball fight, trying to one up the other time and time again just to see who truly was the best out them both, Oliver focused his efforts on Felicity as she continued laughing, smirking at how bad her self-awareness of her surroundings were as he snuck round the boot of the car.

Tackling her from behind, rolling them over so he took the majority of the blow instead of her, Oliver quickly subdued her as he gripped her wrists with either hand, straddling her so she couldn't use her legs to escape him either.

"Is there anything you'd like to say to me Felicity? Maybe an _apology _for example" lowering his face to hers so they were barely any distance apart, Oliver saw the smirk building as she just laughed in his face. "I'm not apologising for anything _leprechaun_" letting loose a low growl down at her at the name, he didn't realise his mistake until it hit him _literally_.

Basically eating snow, Oliver shook off the snow onto Felicity who shrieked at the sudden frost chilling her skin, Oliver whispered down to her.

"I'm going to get you back for this Felicity, mark my words carefully. I'd watch yourself if I were you"

Picking them both up to their feet, they all joined the rest of the team that were covered head to toe in snow.

Smiling over at Oliver as he returned her embrace, she didn't regret one single move on her part for coordinating all this in the first place because without even realising Oliver's earlier behaviour had withered away.


	88. Family 'Ohana'

**Sheesh it's been a long time since I last updated but I think I came down with writer's block. Well it gets to everyone at some point I guess, it was sooner or later. Anyways here's another update that's mainly centred around the team _and Olicity _in general that I just had in my head and decided to get down so curious as to what you guys think of it. **

**As always, leave a review and tell me your thoughts. **

**Thanks and enjoy x**

Watching as the colours, figures and shapes blurred together as the room passed by her gaze, Felicity brought herself to a sudden halt, feeling the spike of nausea at the abrupt change from spinning around in her chair to being still.

She still does that from time to time, allows herself to feel like a kid again, it helps sometimes…when aspects of her night-life as vigilante tech support becomes too much to swallow in one go. Dealing with criminals forging countless wars against the City she loves, the City she's called her home in the last six years, battling against the changing world that's around them all…sometimes she just needs a moment or two to just _let go_, to breathe and not have to worry about being crushed under the never-ending weight that constantly piles itself more and more onto her shoulders.

In rare moments though, there's a light that captures Felicity's gaze that she just can't ignore, nor does she want to. Something so bright it illuminates them all, the space surrounding her in _life_, in _happiness_…

It's something that one cannot explain nor recreate, it's something that only one can see with their own eyes.

Leaning back into the seat of the chair, Felicity just simply…listens, and watches the scene before her unfold that warms her heart and raises her soul that she's part of this _Ohana_.

As the sounds that have become so familiar to her play out like a symphony, she just watches the team interact with one another…how fluent they all are with one another.

Warmth glided across her body as the two strong arms that she's come to love so much over her past few years working alongside him and seeing everything that these arms can do for others, bound round her body, shifting her form so he could easily slide beneath her and hold her tightly against his chest.

"You alright?" Oliver asked as he moved his face closer to the shell of her ear, embracing the feeling of her skin rising with goosebumps as a shiver ran through her at the feel of him, never failing to make him smile adoringly at her that he can still do that.

"Yeah I'm good" fitting herself back against him, Felicity laid her hands over the tops of his own. "…it's just, I think I found something that I never quite realised I was searching for"

"What's that?" as he replied, Felicity turned her head to glance back at him, smiling lovingly at him before answering.

"…a true home" her smile deepened at his confusion.

"Felicity, it's not like the old foundry though. That's where all the memories are, good or bad"

"That's just the thing though. It's not the place that makes the memories, it's the people. How we've all come together for different causes and from different places in the world but are all on one track all the same. Each of us, individually, adding to the family. Diggle with Lyla and baby Sara. Even Barry, Caitlin, Cisco, Ronnie, Iris and Joe. Home is where the heart is, no matter how far away we all are from one another we're all here. Sara's with Laurel, Roy's with the suit that Thea wears every night" resting his head on her shoulder, Oliver whispers low into her ear, to make sure it would be only her that heard him.

"I'd like to add our own family to that list" she closed her eyes as he whispered into the shell of her ear, his thumb stroking over her engagement ring that had previously been his mother's, something of the Queen family he had wanted her to have, _besides his own heart of course_.

"You know, back when I was in Vegas…this was something I never had with my mum, don't get me wrong I love my mum to the ends of the Earth and back but you could even be blind and notice something was always missing. We both lost something the day my father left…me, a father, and mum, a husband, but it wasn't just that though. It was just missing something that the foundry now emits so radiantly"

Breathing deeply, Felicity concentrated on the scene still before her instead of the mild burn of the tears behind her eyelids.

"When my father walked out, he left with all the memories and his presence leaving me with nothing to remember him with…but to be honest, I'm not all too sure if I _want _to. Why should I believe in a man that refused to believe in me, his own daughter? However, with the team, if somebody leaves it's like part of them is here too, that they stay with us"

"That's something I've noticed too, I've just never thought properly on it. It's something that I'm thankful for, it makes it easier in the long run when it comes to remembering them and how they fitted into our lives personally"

Watching with her, the couple just observed the team as the family they all were without noticing the connection, doesn't matter if they're not blood. This is something that will always true no whoever stays, they'll never be alone, even if can be haunting sometimes.

…

Time ticked past as the night wore thin into the break of a new day.

Not bothering to bite back the yawn that made its way to the surface, Felicity just cuddled her form deeper into Oliver as he moved them both to his feet, bringing Felicity closer to his chest, already knowing from her yawn that it'd be best to begin heading to bed.

Before she knew it Oliver was tucking them both into their bed, Felicity dressed in one of his oversized shirts as they were _so _comfy it was unbelievable.

"You know it's something that I've always cherished. When I went from working alone to being part of a team, it was lonely to begin with but I just never allowed myself the leisure of sharing the weight of it with someone else. I always considered it to be my responsibility" absentmindedly stroking slow circles on her bare back, his hand always managed to creep up her shirt, Oliver tucked her head beneath his chin.

"…which I'm glad you fixed, it's always better as part of a team than anything really. Always been that way. Something I've always believed in is that sometimes in life, with risks come rewards but other times it's just pure risks. You can never get away from that edge but sometimes if you try hard enough and believe, you can just scrape the edge and learn how to fly. You just can't be afraid to fall"

"That's true since the last time I went over the edge and fell, you were the one to save me from it. To catch me even if it meant facing your own fears to do so" whispering into her hair, he could tell that Felicity was close to dropping off, the borderline in his own sight that he was fast approaching to be honest.

"…I'd do it again…if it meant you living"

"You're remarkable Felicity" muttering down to the blonde practically already asleep with her head resting atop his chest, he couldn't help the way his lips curled up at just how damn lucky he is.

"…thanks for….remarking….on it…."

"Always…goodnight, fiancé"


	89. Second Chances

**So, honestly this wasn't supposed to be as long as it has been but I think I got too in on the story. I apologise for how long it's been since I last updated but I've been busy with college any everything, then there's the case of writer's block that's just a goddamn curse lurking in the dark. **

**Anyways back to the point, please leave a review and tell me your thoughts. **

**Thanks and enjoy x**

_What do you want to be when you're older?_

Ever since she was younger and she initially was asked that question, Felicity's always known what she wanted to be, _who _she wanted to be when she grew up so she's spent years in the making drawing the path in which she would take to become that person.

However, sometimes life never turns out the way you expect it to, diverting from the path you've set in stone to follow, completely throwing you off kilter and into deep dark waters of the unknown.

When she was only seven years old her father abandoned both her and her mother, leaving them high and dry with nothing left but each other.

To be quite honest, _that _was probably the time in which her future plans began swaying from the sole direction she's ever known.

Life continued on though through the thick and thin, through the heart of the storm and out the other side but she knew she wasn't the same as the person who entered the storm's clutches.

It was college, however, that mainly informed her that what she once thought to be her future wasn't as set in stone as she once thought.

….

Clutching the rifle to her chest, Felicity strode on through the brush following the footsteps of her fellow squad member leading point towards the town up ahead.

If you had told a younger Felicity that this is what her life would become, what her decisions would ultimately lead to, she would simply have laughed in your face and returned to her realm of binary codes and technology.

Scanning the local surroundings as she carefully watched the every footfall she made and those of her team mates, Felicity took her turn of leading point through the remnants of the houses that once were, her guard never wavering for even a moment.

….

After completing all necessary qualifications that were needed for the education that Felicity once hoped for, she had come face to face with question that ended up choosing the path that would guide her through the next chapter in her life's story.

_What next?_

Escaping to a place she always visited when she was in need of answers or just needed to think, Felicity ultimately decided that she wanted to _do _something with her life, something that was worth remembering in those later years of her existence when she was old and grey and looked back on her life.

So she ended up scraping the idea of becoming something behind the screen of technology and picked up a gun and enlisted in the Army instead, becoming a Marine and fighting for her country.

In becoming a Marine Felicity faced moments where it didn't matter of what your background included or who your parents were or anything that once disabled her from moving to a position in which more advantages in life came her way. No, instead it was simply a matter of being strong enough to protect your own life and those of your team, the aim in mind being to make it back home again to those that cared for you.

Being a Marine helped her in ways she never knew something possibly could. It taught her honour, strength, discipline of the mind and that life is short so make every moment count.

….

Felicity and her squad was required to undergo a thorough search of the local towns and secure the sense of solidity beneath their feet, making sure all was well in the villages_, or as well as it could be considering. _

Something that always devoured at her insides where when the people of the local villages considered dog fighting as entertainment, having the poor creatures fight for survival and their right to roam the Earth.

It doesn't matter how many times she came across a dead body or watched someone she knew be killed or murdered in the midst of the war raging on around them, the sight or acknowledgement of it made her want to vomit.

She despised having to encounter the bloody 'entertainment' but as it was asked of her, she had to turn a blind eye to the blood and death, the lives of the innocent dogs being bet on treated like _nothing_, like they didn't matter.

Fighting her stomach through the entire duration of the search into the building she really wanted to dodge completely, Felicity's eyes remained pealed for any sight of weapons or anything considered as a threat.

Minding her stomach as she took and released a deep breath, Felicity pushed on through the _quarters _(more like holes) in which they kept the dogs but it was one certain cage that made her halt in her steps, leaving her unable to continue forward through the room and encasing her within a cry for mercy and safety…for someone to actually _care_.

It was the miserable brown eyes hidden beneath the multiple layers of caked dirt, mud and blood encrusting the coat of the creature that drew her to a pause. Breath being trapped in her throat at the sight of his small brittle body rammed into the corner of the cage, the struggling rise and fall of his chest colliding with her like a wall, falling upon her and not allowing her to take a clean breath at all.

Hearing a sudden onslaught of foreign language being thrown her way, Felicity turned to the angry man on a collision course she was obstructing currently.

Taking a firm hold of her rifle for reassurance, she turned to the man commanding her to step away from the meat and allowed her tongue that had found its way around the language and released hell upon the man, putting him responsible for the treatment and resulting condition of the poor Pitbull pup.

Not caring for the reaction as Felicity released her anger upon the man, leaving him cowering before her despite the fact being that he stood taller than her, she directed his attention to the pup and growled at him in his own language.

It was times like these that Felicity understood her level of compassion as an advantage, being able to fall back on the anger raging behind the scenes and support that compassion radiating to an existence she felt for.

Not feeling a shred of remorse for the arsehole of a man who actually _willingly_ participated in these kind of stomach-churning events, the only element of the moment she cared for was the terrified creature attempting to fuse himself with the wall behind him in an effort to make himself smaller.

Bundling the little form up in one of the spare blanket Felicity always packed in case but so far found no use for, _she knew they'd come in handy one day_, she bound him so all of his fragile little body remained inside the blanket before tucking him into her jacket so she could remain hands-free for her gun.

Snarling a string of foreign words at the man once more when he moved to intercept her, Felicity passed him before striding to finish her scan of the remnants of the building to catch up with her team.

….

Ever since that moment in which Felicity saved Gizmo, because everyone needs a name and she decided his would be after her childhood imaginary friend she loved so much, from the literal fight of his life he's become a permanent fixture to her side, almost as though he was surgically fused to her side. The rest of her squad growing to care for the little tyke and adopt him into their team and military family.

Weeks following that day, Gizmo's health shot through the roof being that Felicity spent practically all her free time tending to him, nurturing his battered and beaten frail body as his strength was restored, so far that whenever they went out on patrol Gizmo was right there beside Felicity with every passing moment, watching the other's back until they return to the cover of safety once more.

….

Sighing deeply as she unclasped her safety belt, Felicity steeled her spine before carefully rising out of her seat and glanced over as the ramp lowered, sunlight bursting past the barrier and encompassing her with the warmth she can't remember feeling since she was a teenager.

Exhaling leisurely, she cast her gaze down to where she knew the bandage still held residence.

A couple months ago Felicity and her group had been involved in an ambush, leading to several explosions in an attempt to throw them off before they attacked. Not allowing herself to be phased by the unknown attack, Felicity had fought through the smoke and ash with Gizmo still raring to go at her side, a factor that kept her sane through the long months being deployed in the unknown and dangerous terrain.

She mainly thanked Gizmo for helping her survive through it, giving her something to fight for, however after the last of the smoke cleared from the surrounding air around the team Felicity finally let the darkness, scanning the remaining members of her squad that had once been at a number of 14 uniforms which was cut down to 8.

_That's when she took count of her situation_.

Having sustained multiple bullet wounds in the attack and several bursts of shrapnel imbedding itself into her body, Felicity was air lifted to the nearest hospital through what she was told the evac team, Gizmo of course at her side nuzzling her hand the entire experience.

Her CO had issued her with a medical discharge after the months' worth of rehabilitation, having gone through all the much needed physical therapy in order to bring her body back up to maximum capacity once more, _well that's what she deemed it_. It wasn't that she didn't _want _to go home, it was just that she hated the fact that she didn't have the _choice _about it because of something that she wasn't in control of.

Peering over at Gizmo, who had sat diligently beside her the entire flight back to the same US soil in which she had both enlisted on and trained that wasn't located too far from her home City of Las Vegas, Felicity offered a small smile to the loyal creature having grown himself into a stronger state before shouldering her pack and leaving the plane, Gizmo at her heel with every step.

Tightening her grip on her pack as she passed by the gate being guarded by the men who sent a nod her way, a nod as a good luck for what may happen later on, Felicity paused when she spotted Lyla and Diggle waving at her from where they both leant up against their car.

The Diggle couple were the two she had met during one of her tours and had become fast friends with Lyla, later on meeting Diggle during a raid under his command, she trusted the pair with her life and the nightmares that lie in her wake, being able to just momentarily take down that wall she had built during her time as a Marine and let herself fall in vulnerability.

"Hey Liz, you and Gizmo ready to go home?" Lyla asked as she met Felicity with a hug, falling back into her role as older sister and almost mother, although making sure she didn't agitate the wounds that were still healing.

"Don't really know to be honest, I wasn't really prepared to go home at least for another couple months. I don't even know I'll be expecting either. Though it'll be amazing to see my mum again and I definitely think Gizmo wants to just get some R&amp;R" answering her whilst glancing over at Gizmo, who sat obediently by her side looking up at her with his big brown eyes panting ready for her command.

"Let's get you home then and I spoke to Donna, she's already prepared your old bedroom for you and is waiting at home" Diggle filled her in as he shut her pack in the trunk of the car before turning to her and placing his hand on her shoulder. "You do know that if you need anything, that our door is open for you…right?"

"I still consider you as my older brother no matter what, nothing's changing there. If anything will happen, you two will be the first I call" smiling warmly as the giant teddy pulled her in for one of his famous brotherly hugs, Felicity breathed in before pushing herself back from him and opening the back door, pausing to let Gizmo jump in before she took her seat.

….

"Honey, you're home!" her mum cried as Diggle opened the door for her, the action still pulling at her sore muscles that were terrorised by the shrapnel and bullet onslaughts she suffered through, Felicity throwing him a grateful smile in response before turning back to her mother. "Are you alright? What happened? They didn't tell me anything about what happened to you?"

"Unfortunately mum, that's protocol. I'm sorry if that scared you but really I'm fine now, just took a couple months to heal"

"_Months? _Felicity Meghan Smoak, tell me what the hell happened to you and why is there a dog sat beside you!?" and people always wondered where she got her ability to babble from.

"Mum this is Gizmo, I found him during one of the patrols he was being used for dog fighting…I couldn't bear to see him in the state he was and just leave him there so I brought him with me"

"Honey I always knew you were compassionate for the less fortunate souls that you encounter so that doesn't surprise me in the slightest at your action but will you just please tell me what happened to you?" taking a couple steps forward, the distance between the two of them being diminished with the forward action, Donna stopped right in front of her daughter and laid one hand on her cheek like she used to when she was younger.

"How about I tell you once we're inside, it's a conversation that I don't really want to share out here" casting her eyes back to the Diggle's, silently asking them to come in with them without having to sound the question, Felicity guided her mum inside, Gizmo falling in step with her with every moment, checking the house out as he passed through.

Turns out it was definitely a good idea to bring the conversation inside for when Felicity actually explained what happened to her, whilst avoiding telling where or _what _she doing in the process, her mother dipped into her habit of pacing through the living room with her hands flailing about the room as she angrily told her how could she put her life on the line _like that, _basically just almost throwing her life away and leaving her all by herself in the world without her daughter in her life. Then she had burst into tears at the sheer thought of losing her daughter to that career her daughter had chosen for herself.

_Felicity hated it when her mother cried because of an action she committed_, it just made her feel an immense wave of guilt for putting her through it.

….

Something she's picked up from her time being a Marine being in the form of exercise.

Since the time she had to go through the physical exam of her induction, to prove she was _physically _able to complete the job, to the Army Felicity had always found exercise calming, something about the rhythm of her feet hitting the tarmac that calms her and gives her something to focus her spiralling thoughts on.

The day she arrived home Felicity's made it a habit that every morning no matter the weather, she'll go out and just run, run until all thoughts fade away and stop nagging at her, run until her body exhausts itself, run until life just makes sense again.

There's benefits of a medical discharge, mostly being that she doesn't have to worry about the needed income, even though it's not as good as other salaries may be, it's something and she can just find the time she never had and take it out to do things around the house that need doing, go running and keep her fitness ability up as much as she can.

However, there's downsides to having so much time on your hands. When she was in the army, Felicity always had something to do, whether it was a mission or training or even just typical day-to-day duties in need of being completed, there was _something _filing in that gap.

Taking a break from her thoughts to peer down at the figure next to her matching her every movement, Felicity couldn't help but smile thinking about when and how she first met Gizmo and how he looked, the memory of the sheer state he'd been in still makes her wince for the poor guy. He's come such a long way from where he'd been. Every time Felicity heads to the door intending to go jogging round a few blocks, Gizmo is always there with her, never leaving her alone as he had done back overseas.

It's actually come to a point where she can't imagine her life without him, how she went about her patrols without his little nose going berserk, searching for the potential danger threatening their existence. He had been trained by the handlers, Felicity never leaving his side once through the duration, to detect the different components, all the scents of the bombs that they used.

"Hey Gizzy, what do you say we take five?" laughing as he barked merrily in response, Felicity turned her steps towards the park they were nearing, her intentions set for the park bench she knew sat along one of the paths.

….

Looking up at the protruding building standing before her, Felicity gasped down a breath as memories flooded her mind of her high school years, one particular face standing out through the midst.

_Oliver Queen_.

In high school they had been the typical 'High School Sweethearts' couple that are supposed to _live their happily ever after together _and all that cheesy stuff that only happens in the most cliché of movies. But that had only gone true before the reality of their love set in.

She loved him with every single inch of her entire being but she didn't ignore the truth staring her in the face. Oliver Queen was the son of one of richest men in Starling, he didn't love people like her, he was supposed to fall in love with the popular girl in their school…and that wasn't her, so she let him go.

_He deserved better_ is what she always told herself when she always fell into the position of regretting her decision, of convincing him that the distance between their colleges wouldn't work and it would hurt a lot more then than it would once high school ended.

There was a moment that will forever haunt her though, the look of sheer devastation on his face as she spoke the words that ultimately ended something that had been going strong for three solid years, dozens of moments that just illuminated the love they held for one another so much she felt overwhelmed by him and everything he meant to her.

Now she was practically walking back in time to those years once more and she knew without a doubt that she was going to have to face him after a good couple years without even so much as a sole email between them.

It was either going to go really good or really bad, she dreaded the latter.

Shaking herself, gathering her courage together and reminding herself she had been deployed within literal gunfire, bombs being exploded all around her, gone headfirst right into multiple wars and been blown up by IEDs she never even knew were there, Felicity stole a look down at her loyal best buddy, who she knew had her back covered, before she exhaled and stepped over the threshold.

….

Walking down the all-to familiar corridor towards the main hall where she knew the whole celebration was being held whilst tinkering around with her badge that stated her name, Felicity took the chance to scan the sheer amount of people that had actually bothered to turn up (_she wished she had been among the people who hadn't but her mother had convinced her otherwise_) and was immediately overwhelmed until she heard someone calling her name.

"Felicity? Felicity!"

Turning towards the sound of the voice, Felicity's mood immediately lifted at the sight of her high school best friends and whom she had actually kept in contact with.

"Iris? Caitlin? You're here!" not hesitating in accepting their hugs without flinching away from the contact she hadn't felt in a good few years, _besides Diggle, her mother and Lyla of course_, Felicity couldn't keep her smile at bay for the life of her.

"You made it! I didn't think you'd actually show up at all. Hey Gizmo!" crouching down, Iris held out her hand for Gizmo to sniff before licking it and sitting down whilst his tail went berserk. "Aw, isn't he an absolute sweetheart"

"You know we were almost on the topic of betting what odds you were showing up here, you know considering who else is attending and all" Caitlin finally cut straight to the point Felicity was sort of dreading.

"Don't remind me, I almost didn't but my mum had other ideas. Well with the amount of people that actually turned up, there's a good chance he won't see me then I can completely avoid him altogether"

"That's true, oh and we need to introduce you to some people! Felicity this is Barry Allen and Eddie Thwane, mine and Iris' boyfriends and I certainly can't possibly forget Cisco" Caitlin giggled as she basically hung onto the arm of Barry, resting her head against his arm and smiling lovingly up at him.

"It's lovely to finally meet you, these two never shut up about you and don't even get me started on the level of excitement they had for today in case you _were _actually turning up" Eddie said shaking his head at the two best friends, throwing Barry a knowing smile before reaching out to shake Felicity's hand.

"Well I'm certainly glad you all are happy, but I've got to say I feel pretty bad for you two guys sometimes just by handling these two"

"You think _we're _troublesome?!" Caitlin's voice was hysterical as she laughed at her friend. "Coming from the one who is literally running _into _trouble a good majority of the time!"

"Eh, potatoes, potatoes" making a swiping gesture at her statement, Felicity laughed. "Well at least I'm never bored, keeps life interesting"

"These two said that you're a Marine?" Cisco stated, interesting in the direction their conversation was heading in.

"Yep, she's a Sergeant" Iris smiled, immensely proud of her basically-sister and what she's done with her life.

"It's nothing, really. I just like making a difference is all"

"That's really cool Felicity, Iris said that you were a genius as well. Hopefully I can get a second opinion of someone that actually _knows what they're doing-_" shooting a pointed look to Barry, who flamed under scrutiny, Cisco basically glared at the guy before he turned back to her once more "-with a couple projects I'm hoping to complete in the near future"

"I'd love to Cisco" smiling warmly at the guy who seemed like a kid in an adult's body, Felicity figured they'd be quite fast friends, along with Barry and Eddie.

"Hey Liz, you want a drink cuz' I'm heading over to the punch bowl if you want to tag along" Iris stated before linking her arm through Felicity's at her best friend's nod, dragging Caitlin and attaching the woman to her other side. "…and don't think you're not coming too"  
As the three women walked towards the punch bowl, they received multiple frowns and gasps at the sight of a Pitbull walking happily by Felicity's side not even noticing the people staring at him, Felicity glaring at them until they stopped the action, the protectiveness for her buddy still burning bright.

Out of habit, Felicity's eyes were taking in every exit in case anything were to go wrong, an action that's been drilled into her so many times she's lost count and it being muscle memory.

She felt like the world paused around her when she spotted the same person she had left behind at the bottom of those steps all those years ago within the crowd, being surrounded by everyone that always wanted a chance to be the one he hopefully fell into bed with, which turned into something more, Felicity froze whilst inhaling, the breath remaining forgotten in her throat at the same boy who she'd left that day beneath the bleachers, somewhere they used to frequent in their relationship.

_It was like the beginning all over again. _

Not caring if she was caught by Iris and Caitlin Felicity just looked at how much he had changed throughout the years since she'd last seen him, since she last taken a picture of them, _one that she certainly did not spend a lot of time looking over until the corners became worn and tattered and used to inspire her when she had wanted to just give up. _

Something though she took note of that definitely gave her the advantage was that the men had decided to re-join them and stood beside Iris and Caitlin, all laughing about something or other.

His dirty blonde hair was shorter, scuff lining his chin and upper lip that wasn't there before whilst his deep blue eyes she used to spend so much time staring into glittered in the light of the disco ball.

_God, she'd missed him so much. _

Smiling at having the chance to actually see him again, Felicity felt herself relax right up until the point where she watched helplessly as his eyes fell upon her open, locking the eye contact between them and giving a front seat at how the shocked expression fell onto his face, almost refusing to allow himself to lose that contact again.

Sending him a quiet smile before turning back to her friends' understanding expressions.

"So much for the chance of going unseen by him" Felicity muttered humourlessly, smiling to herself at actually thinking she'd be able to get away from him again even though she's walking into a place that's guarantying a meeting between them.

"It's been almost seven years since we last saw each other and I don't even get a hug?" freezing once more at the familiar voice sounding from behind her, Felicity closed her eyes to take a breath and ward off the flight or fight instincts flaring up at the sheer want almost possessing her to just escape out the side door and retreat back home but she's been trained for situations much worse than this. "I'm hurt Felicity, really"

Turning to greet him face to face, Felicity smiled slightly as she responded.

"Hello to you too Oliver Queen" when he raised an eyebrow, Felicity rolled her eyes before reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck like she used to do, feeling his own wrap around her waist tightly, successfully bringing their bodies closer together.

"It's wonderful to see you again Felicity" fighting back the shiver that flickered beneath her skin when he whispered into the crook of her neck, Felicity tried to ignore how close he brought her to his own body, leaving no distance between the two of them.

"You too Oliver" replying before hesitantly pulling back from his embrace, not missing the look of regret at the action and how he seemed reluctant, Felicity squeezed her hands around his arms as she glanced down at the pressure against her leg, Gizmo waiting to be introduced, letting out a small laugh at him. "Oliver this is Gizmo, Gizmo this is Oliver"

Observing as Oliver took in the creature at her side, he kneeled down in front of him, holding out his hand and grinning as Gizmo sniffed at the man Felicity had allowed rather close to her.

"Hey Gizmo, nice to meet you buddy. If I had known I would've brought my own dog, I wish I did now" pushing back to his feet once more,

"What kind of dog have you got?" taking the chance to introduce both of them into an actual conversation to avoid the inevitable silence that she can feel lingering between them, Felicity felt more than saw Iris and Caitlin at her side.

"German Shepherd, her name's Lexi"

"That's a beautiful name"

"Thanks" feeling a momentary awkwardness setting into place, Oliver moved onto another topic to avoid allowing himself too much time to just look at her and take in just how much he'd missed her. "So what have you been up to for all these years?"

"I, uh…well after graduating MIT, I ended up becoming a Marine" steeling her spine for the expected response, Felicity wasn't disappointed when he gaped at her before gathering some remnants of control and closing his mouth.

"Wow, that's ah…unexpected, I didn't think that would be a path you would take. You know since you were a genius in high school and never stopped, you know once a genius always a genius"

"Yeah, well I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do and I wanted to do something with my life, you know make a difference so I ended up joining the army and becoming a Marine"

"So what have you been doing recently then?"

"Mostly?" glancing round at both her friends before landing her gaze once more on Oliver, she knew she couldn't get out of admitting the bit of truth she'd been hoping she wouldn't have to share. "I've been in Germany, mainly recovering" distracting herself by stroking Gizmo, his big brown eyes looking up at her, Felicity only heard their responses.

"From what?" she hated having to explain what happened to her whilst on missions she had to experience, for she had to relive the experience all over again, having to unconsciously put herself back into the position she'd been in before and the hell she had to endure in the process. "Felicity?"

"We were on patrol and were ambushed, explosions were everywhere and bullets were raining down on my team…I…" staring at a point on the floor near her right foot, Felicity felt herself steadily tensing up, becoming too stuck within her own head, literally seeing the explosions around her, the men on the buildings around them firing upon them and her fellow team mates crashing to the soil beneath their feet.

Losing herself in the memory, Felicity didn't notice Gizmo becoming more frenzied as he licked and nudged at her right hand hanging by her side until she was startled back into the present when he gently nipped at her hand.

_Letting loose a bark, she knew, was always the last resort to getting her back to her mind set. _

"Felicity?" coming back to herself once more, Felicity finally felt Oliver's hand on her shoulder massaging the muscle of her left shoulder, moving to the nape of her neck and smoothly tracing small circles on the skin, raising her skin beneath his touch, the contact she hadn't felt for years.

"I'm good, I, uh…" looking back down to Gizmo, the Pitbull staring her back with his gentle loving eyes she took immediate comfort in, Felicity sucked in a deep breath before glancing back to Oliver once more. "I was recovering from multiple bullet wounds and bursts of shrapnel being imbedded by the explosions. It, uh, took me a while to recover since I was out cold when they found me…but I'm good now" falling back to her typical route of bringing down the wall blocking her off from that inner part of her that wants to just cry at the sheer pain and terror she endured, the memories haunting her whenever she closed her eyes, Felicity didn't react once as she watched his facial expression change from shock, horror and terror to unmasked anger that he didn't know.

"Jesus, I never thought…I-" knowing if she let him, he'd damage that wall she comforted herself in and unknowingly force her into actually fully putting herself back into her previous position again, Felicity interrupted him and moved the conversation on.

"Oliver, you didn't know I was even a Marine, there's nothing you could've done. Anyways, enough about me, what about you? How have you been?"

"Yea-Yeah, I'm good. After my father stepped down from his role of CEO in the company, I went to business school got my degree and everything I needed to take over the position"

"…you actually went through with the whole concept of running the company? I thought you were planning on building up a club with Tommy?"

"Well those plans fell through, my parents ended up convincing me it'll do me good but I still went through with the nightclub with Tommy. It's on the edge of the Glades in Starling City, called Verdant"

"You always did have an obsession with the colour green didn't you?" laughing at his shrug, saying the typical 'I regret nothing', Felicity turned and looked straight at her best friends, taking note of their facial expressions and figured before they spoke a single word. "Okay, out with it. What's with the faces and don't say 'nothing' because a) that's my line and b) I know you're lying, it's my job to read people?"

"Why didn't you tell us you'd been hurt?" watching as Barry comforted Caitlin as she asked that dreaded question she'd knew they would ask if the topic ever came up, she exhaled.

"Because I didn't want to worry any of you. Being in the army, and spending the majority of my time overseas…I've seen a lot of things that I can never un-see. I knew how bad of a state I was in…I just thought it'd be best not to let anyone get their hopes up in case the end of my line came. Too be honest though, it actually sounded better in my head…though they did have me high on drugs so"

"How high?" Cisco asked, getting looks from everyone that just said 'really?', "_what? _I'm intrigued"

Laughing at the guy in front of her, Felicity responded anyways "…worse than you can imagine. I definitely peed off one of the Doctors so much by constantly singing 'Do You Want to Build a Snowman' and an onslaught of Disney songs without breaths"

Before anyone could answer, one of the people they used to go to high school with walked onstage and took possession of the microphone, gaining their attention for the unveiling of the time capsule.

Moments seemed to be passing by in slow motion, the same people she'd attended high school with crowding together before the stage to see the objects they'd put into the time capsule all those years ago before they'd left for the next step in their lives.

Feeling her breaths quicken as the room steadily felt like it was closing up, the increasing sound of applause and the music smothering her, Felicity raised a hand to the base of her throat, compelling herself to concentrate on the rhythm of her inhale and exhales, like she did with the beats of her feet against tarmac.

_So why couldn't she breathe?_

_Why did she feel like she was suffocating like her team mates had done within that cloud of smoke? The same smoke she was supposed to perish in as well? _

She barely felt in control of her movements as the world around her almost dropped away, leaving her behind to fend for herself, flashbacks attacking her mind of what happened, mixing with the observation of reality. Her legs having a mind of their own as she slowly backed herself out of the crowd, eyes going to all the faces she recently was looking at only minutes ago.

_Was it minutes, or was it hours? _She couldn't tell.

Checking around her like she always did on patrol or under gunfire before she made her next move, she congratulated herself on so far going unnoticed by anyone as her hand flailed around behind her, searching for the handle to the gym door leading to the hallways.

What happened next though, she barely was able to control.

Pushing through the door without a second glance, Felicity took off down the corridor, the sights becoming blurry lines and colours around her as she bounced her body off the walls and praying she was heading in the right direction.

She wasn't an idiot, she knew without a doubt what was happening to her but the problem stood that she had no idea of how to control the oncoming storm that she just knew she held no power over, not knowing how to stop or avert it's attention.

The only best thing she could do was place herself where nobody was going to get hurt.

….

Clutching at her head, Felicity closed her eyes as the voices came, bouncing around her mind without a care in the world, asking her what right she had to survive where others had previously fell.

Everywhere she turned it was chaos, no solidity to comfort herself with at all, nothing to tie that anchor of reality she always fell upon.

Lights attacked her vision light the bullets that lodged themselves in her body, shrapnel imbedding itself under her skin, explosions of colour everywhere she looked.

Pushing to her feet once more and heading towards the cool breeze, just praying that it would relieve her of the heat encasing her entire being, Felicity felt the firm and solid bar beneath her fingers, wrapping her palms around the metal and anchoring herself to the cold stint nipping at her nerve endings.

An explosion of sound sent her mind reeling as instincts kicked in, turning her towards the source.

_Gizmo…it was just Gizmo_.

Focusing her sight on her best buddy who'd been there through the heart of the storm as they both battled through it together, Felicity hardly needed to think about her next actions.

Falling to her knees before the Pitbull, Felicity cupped both hands and felt the weight of his head as he rested it in her hands, letting the feel of him comfort her as it always has.

That was when she felt the icy breeze cutting through her, her mind taking note of her surroundings, the football field sat in the middle of two sets of bleachers, one either side of the field and the stairs leading down to said field, her hands previously housing a tight grip on the bar that ran down the side of the stairs.

Looking back to Gizmo, Felicity let out the breath that's been trapped for what felt like a millennium but said breath froze mid-exhale at the sight lingering inside the doorframe that she'd seemingly burst out of if the soreness of her hands was anything to go by.

Giving Gizmo one more stroke before she once more pushed to her feet, Felicity headed up to where Oliver was waiting, not knowing what to do with himself as he visibly fidgeted.

"You didn't have to follow me you know. Gizmo's with me, I would've been fine" hoping the tone of her voice didn't set off a chain reaction, Felicity stopped in front of him.

"I just…you disappeared, I didn't know" lingering at the end, Oliver focused his sights on the woman in front of him that he hadn't seen in years. "What happened Felicity? It was like you weren't here" not being able to stop himself, he wrapped his index finger round the base of fingers, the brief contact spiking at her nerves once more but in a way that hasn't been done in years…a contact she hasn't felt in so long.

"I suffer with these…panic attacks, they get set off at any moment because of anything really and I just get trapped inside my own head. Gizmo here is the one that calms me down enough to get rein of my own mind again"

"…he's really special to you isn't he? You trust him without fault" smiling down at the dog in question, Gizmo just wagged his tail and let off a happy yip in response.

"We've just gone through so much together that we trust each other without fault, it's hard to explain but I know he's got my back whenever I need it and vice versa"

As the silence sparked at the atmosphere between them, Felicity felt herself becoming that same girl who had to let loose the one guy she loved like she never would again. It didn't matter that she'd literally walked through hell for so many years, being with Oliver like this was something she'd never be able to snap herself out of.

"You know, back then in the gym when you disappeared…" as he spoke, she had to rein in her emotions as his hands began sliding up her arms, making Felicity regret her choice in her short sleeve t-shirt "…it was like déjà vu, the end of high school all over again and it made me remember something"

"That you don't take in your surroundings?"

"Fe-li-ci-ty….it made me remember what it was like to lose you from my life. When I saw you for the first time since high school, I fell in love with you all over again and I'm not ready to let you slip through my fingers again Felicity. I lost you once, I can't do it again" as she stared deep into those eyes again, Felicity knew before anything else that if this continued there wasn't a force on this Earth that could stop her from falling in love with him again and his arms.

Closing her eyes as she reaching up and cradled each of his hands in her own, Felicity took a single step back before looking back up at him again.

"Oliver…I'm sorry about how it ended between us but at the same time I'm not sorry it did end. Guys like you don't end up with girls like me. Oliver, you've built something for yourself, and I'm not going to let anything happen to that but just look at me….I'm broken, I'm not the girl I used to be and I'm not the right one for you" knowing she should just drop his hands before the contact sparked into something else, she found herself unable to let go of the contact, wanting to hold onto him for as long as she could before…

"You're wrong, you're not broken just lost and I don't give a shit about the typical girl I'm supposed to end up with, the main thing is I don't want someone else…I want _you_. It hurt me so much to lose you before Felicity, but it was _you _that actually got my head in the right gear and let me actually get that business degree and make something with my life. You hear me? _It was you_ that inspired me to go through with those nightclub ideas and build up Verdant with Tommy. I love you Felicity and there's no way I letting you go without the fight of my life"

"What about your family Oliver?"

"My family, why would they car-" Oliver frowned at the question before it hit him, an underlining anger bubbling up beneath the surface at a truth he'd never known. "That's the reason isn't it? My parents convinced you that it would be best for me if you let me go, didn't they?"  
"They were right though, I couldn't get in between you and something that could build you up to the man you are today"

"We would've found another way. Felicity, do you know how many years I spent wishing that I could just find you and go back to the way things were between us? How much time I spent so unbelievably miserable because I missed you _so damn much _that it actually physically hurt?"

"…I'm sorry Oliver" not being able to help but apologise, Felicity realised just how much she'd left him hurting, almost how deep that knife had been buried within her own chest.

"Tell me we can try again, please Felicity. I don't care what my family thinks of it, I just desperately need and want you back in my life again"

She wasn't an idiot, she knew she wouldn't be able to leave him behind once more like she had done previously, it had taken so much out of her to not even look back at him…but now? There was no hope for her at all and she wasn't filing any complaints about it.

Without pausing, Felicity pushed to the tip of her toes and collided her own lips to his, not a second escaping before Oliver bound his arms round her waist and brought her against his own body, deepening the kiss further as one of his hands left her waist to cradle the nape of her neck.

Falling back into their old ways, the kiss seemed to pass before they were both pulling back in desperate need of oxygen but Oliver still not relinquishing his hold of her, his lips ghosting over hers as they shared the oxygen between them.

Gizmo barking, vexed at being left out, is what startled the pair out of the state they'd previously been in, Felicity resting her head against his shoulder as she laughed.

"Really Gizmo, you're not helping me here dude" without looking she could hear the amusement in his voice.

"He doesn't like being ignored" breathing out, Felicity smiled down at him. "Do you buddy?" even more so when he sat down pointedly. "On the point, we really should head back. I think they may be wrapping it up now"

"I'd rather stay here with you" whispering his reply, Oliver laid a chaste kiss on her lips before pulling back, resting his forehead against hers already relishing in the ability to do that after all the years of missing her kisses.

"Come on lover boy" laughing when he pouted once more, Gizmo joined them quickly as they returned to the gym, hoping to sneak back in.

_Boy were they wrong_.

The moment they walked in, a heavy mass of applause met them leaving them stunned as the entire crowd whooped and cheered at the sight of them together and hands entwined.

"Oh God" hiding her face in Oliver's shoulder as her face flamed intensely at being caught out by the _entire school_, Oliver meanwhile simply locked his arms back round her figure once more and locked her against him as she felt the deep rumbled chuckles from within his chest.

"Give it up for the 'School Sweethearts'!" the same person onstage called out as confetti rained down upon them, Felicity choosing that moment to duck out from against Oliver's suit jacket.

Turns out whilst they were out of the gym everyone got together and hoped that the couple that had been the celebrities in school got back together again, bets being made.

"So what now?" Felicity asked, chancing a look over at Oliver, who was already looking her way.

"We're together, who cares? But whatever it is, it'll be decided and done together" using their entwined hands to drag her back into his chest and closing his mouth over hers, sparking another set of cheers, feeling Oliver's smile in response. "It's like prom all over again"

Bursting out into laughter at the memory she's never forgotten, Felicity buried her face in his shoulder.

_On the night of prom after spending a few hours dancing with her friends and boyfriend, Felicity had protested any more dancing because her feet hurt but it was a slow dance and Oliver had gotten rid of her heels and taken her up in his arms bridal style and twirled them both around. _

Turns out one of the nights Felicity dreaded ended up not actually being as bad as she'd thought, rather the stark opposite.

Throughout the rest of the night so many pictures were taken, differentiating from the groups of people but in every photo that was taken Oliver never strayed from her side, Felicity picking up Gizmo so he could star in a good majority of the photos.

One of her favourites though was definitely was when Felicity held Gizmo in her arms, eyes shut tight as she found herself in the middle of a kiss between Oliver and Gizmo, the action shot being of her laughing and Gizmo's tail going berserk as usual.

The other being a group shot of everyone since someone had brought along their selfie stick that actually had quite an extension to it.

_Remind her to make sure she collects them all and adds them to her scrapbook. _

….

Sighing deeply as she felt the sun's rays upon her skin, Felicity smiled gleefully as she recounted the events of last night, feeling the stark naked sleeping body behind her wrapped around her like a vine.

_After the reunion had officially ended at around midnight, some others having left earlier in order to put their children to sleep, they had all finally went their parted ways but had all exchanged numbers to stay in touch. _

_Oliver though had been as reluctant as she had been to part ways with one another, one thing leading to another and instead of proceeding back to her hotel room they had fallen back into their old way of loving each other, engaging in another kiss but this one being all the more passionate and all-consuming and ending with the pair of them in a cab heading to Oliver's penthouse suite he'd rented, his hands sending trails of heat whenever he touched but not going any further for the extra presence on her lap. _

_However, it turned out that Gizmo had been quite tired from their trip and the second they'd gotten into his suite he was out like a light on the couch, leaving the couple to their own devices. _

_Moments charged between them, memories of how they once were guiding them both and leading them down the path they'd hadn't touched for so long, the emotions flaring between them like a tale as old as time. _

_They both knew, though, that this was much different from how it used to be. _

_Laying her down upon the bed, Oliver had gazed upon her changed and scarred body, the scars of her previous battle still healing. She knew what it looked like, how ugly they seemed to others but with Oliver, the moment he revealed her he spent so long just laving every scar she carried with kisses, reacquainting himself with her once more as he whispered words of love into her skin. _

_It was almost as though their first night all over again. _

Hearing his deep intake, she simply buried her head back into the pillow once more before she couldn't embrace in the simplicity of just lying in but apparently since spending as long in the military as she has, it's become a habit waking up early in the morning despite what hour she fell asleep at.

Turning herself in his arms so his torso was buried into her side, Oliver adapting with the change of position and settling himself back in once more, throwing his arm across her waist and covering part of her body with his own.

Laughing, Felicity remembered that he never was one for early morning starts.

Not being able to help the action, she gently ran her finger tips up his bare back, getting a moan in response to her ministrations.

It wasn't long until she was joined in the land of living.

"Morning sleeping beauty" gazing down at his fluttering baby blues, Felicity just laughed when he simply moaned out 'no' before attempting to bury himself further into her.

"Why are you up at this ungodly hour?"

"Oliver, it's half seven, it's not the crack of dawn" laughing at him and the sheer amount of hatred he had towards the concept of early mornings, Felicity actually felt lighter than she had in years.

"…hmm, it's nice waking up with you Fe-li-ci-ty" raising his head up so he could kiss her, it soon became much more as Oliver moaned at the skin to skin contact, moving so he was completely on top of her, situating himself between her thighs like he had done last night, the warmth spiking at her body as his naked flesh covered hers but never once losing the contact.

Turning her head to the side, breaking off the kiss, when oxygen became a necessity, Oliver simply trailed his lips down the side of her neck as he entwined their hands on either side of them.

"Felicity" whispering lowly in that rough, partial growly, voice, Felicity didn't make a single movement towards stopping the flow of actions that almost mirrored those of last night, her thighs bracketing his hips as he gently sucked on her ear lobe.

Gasping when his hips rolled against hers, she very soon found herself answering back to the action that she felt spark that fire already glinting as the atmosphere of the previous night returned, her whispers of his name coming out in moans. An all-too-familiar warmth gathering between her thighs as she felt his arousal brushing against her abdomen.

"Felicity" as he moaned her name once more, Felicity couldn't find the words to explain the feeling warming her chest. "I'll never be able to get enough of you _Felicity_"

Taking sole advantage of his state of pleasure, she flipped their positions, keeping her eyes locked on his as her hair fell around them, closing them both in their own cocoon full of everything they had missed for the last several years.

Feeling him finally release his grip of her fingers, Felicity steadily lowered herself until her breasts were pushed right up against his chest, Oliver's eyes fluttering closed with a moan at the skin on skin contact, the relief of the feeling still there despite how long they've spent in their non-clothing situation.

Wrapping his arms tight around her waist to solidify that he wouldn't lose the feeling of her against him, Felicity moved her hands from his shoulders and down over his biceps, squeezing at the muscle present there before igniting another kiss, this one slower and deeper.

Becoming consumed within the passion radiating the warmth glowing between them, Oliver once more rolled them over and pushed her deep into the mattress, rolling his hips over her core and groaning at the wetness he found there, he couldn't find it within him to stop, he wanted her so many times she had become an addiction he craved with his entire being and it certainly didn't help when she ran her nails down the expanse of his back.

The sound of barking startled them both out of their moment, both of them looking over to find Gizmo staring back at them expectantly.

"Gizmo, you're killing me bud" groaning desperately into Felicity's shoulder, Oliver didn't care if it sounded more like a whine than anything, _he wanted her so bad_.

Either not caring or ignoring Oliver's whine, Gizmo jumped up on the bed and nuzzled Felicity's hand that had left Oliver's side to run her hand over the top of his head.

"So much for continuing where we left off" whining as he rolled off her but fused himself to her side, resting his head on her left shoulder, his legs tangling with hers.

Moaning when she just laughed in response, he just buried his head into the crook of her neck before he felt nuzzling against his hand he had thrown over her waist, Gizmo trying to get in on the action, copying Oliver and placing his head on the top of Felicity's breasts.

"So first you spoil my morning time with her and now my cuddle time? If you're not careful, you and I are going to have a problem buster" faking anger at the Pitbull who just yipped and shuffled closer, licking Oliver's hand that had somehow now ended up hanging over the dog's back as he laid down next to the length of Felicity's body. "Fine, I guess we can share her"

Smiling at both her guys all cuddled together, Felicity allowed herself to drift back off into sweet oblivion but not before she managed to sneakily snap a photo using the selfie stick she knew Oliver always kept in his nightstand draw.

….

Without even properly trying, Felicity and Oliver slipped back naturally into their relationship.

That was always one of best parts about them, they didn't have to try too hard to just be together…it just happened, it was something that others within their high school envied so much, the ability to just be them together.

Months following their high school reunion a lot of major things happened between Oliver and Felicity, the first being that within months of reuniting and trying again with being together, they became quite serious, Oliver having Felicity moved into his house that wasn't nearly as big as the Queen's mansion but they both were more comfortable with the size.

They had even unconsciously created a morning routine that followed the same path, excluding the weekend of course, of Felicity and Gizmo always waking up bright and early and going out for their morning run that Oliver now typically takes part in as well, the three of them jogging a couple laps round the block before heading back home to make breakfast.

Since she had been a Marine for a good few years, the concept of exercise is still something that manages to calm her down even in the worst of days, Oliver mostly leaving her to the gym during frustrating days at the office.

Since they'd been together, there had been one occasion where Felicity had been called back in on a mission that left her with a broken left arm and a couple bruises from being thrown into a building due to an explosion.

After introducing Gizmo to Oliver's German Shepherd, Lexi, Felicity had refused to bring Gizmo with her on the mission, not wanting to continue to risk his life anymore especially due to the fact that he was over the moon happy living at home with Oliver.

Once she had returned to Oliver, with him begging her not to leave him again for he was out of his mind worried about her, she had agreed to withdraw herself from being a Marine, deciding that the military had done her an outstanding service for guiding her to her future but she continue risking her life and leaving Oliver for months, even a year or two at a time.

So she had used her qualifications from MIT and built up her own company and providing IT services, her first major client being QC and now being able to bring in employees and building her company up to one of the greatest companies in the City, alongside her boyfriend's.

After finding out how his parents had gotten involved in his love life and basically being the wedge that drove him and Felicity apart at the end of high school, Oliver refused to even acknowledge them anymore, his anger being something too powerful to rein in despite their apologises and excuses of 'they thought it was the best for him'.

So, as it turns out, life had been rather good to her, gifting her with another chance at happiness and everything she could've ever wanted with the only man she truly loved and if the box she had found in his underwear drawer was anything to go by, it was going to be getting infinitely better in the near future.

**Btw if you want to know what Gizmo looks like, here ya go:**

** . /search?q=pitbull+dog&amp;biw=1252&amp;bih=602&amp;source=lnms&amp;tbm=isch&amp;sa=X&amp;sqi=2&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjYwJDB1oHLAhWB1xQKHbM8ABkQ_AUIBigB#tbm=isch&amp;q=young+pitbull+dog&amp;imgrc=r8-j1p-kCGea2M%3A **


	90. Second Chances Contd

**Okay I'm just going to say this right now, the ending to this I'm not exactly happy with but I'm just going with. **

**Primarily, I apologise for not updating in so long but I've been struggling with the writer's block so hopefully I'll be getting over that soon. **

**Anyways secondly, with this timeline it's sort of before the events of season 3 but Ray still appears in this but as the bad guy, it's not actually how I think of him it's just fun messing around with the concept and such. Oh and Lyla's not pregnant in this so it's not really following the timeline of the season 2-3 gap so yeah, there's that. **

**So back to the story, I hope you like it and don't forget to review to tell me your thoughts. **

**Thanks and enjoy x**

Developing a rhythm of silent deep breaths as she waited alongside the rest of the uniforms waiting for those two giant hangar doors where she knew her family was waiting for her, Felicity remembered vividly when she used to be in this same exact position but knew for a fact that there was nobody waiting for her on the other side and how much it really used to be a dagger in her heart.

Of course sometimes Diggle and Lyla would be there to welcome her back with baby Andy in their arms when they could, occasionally even her mother finally getting some time off and taking the time to spend with her daughter. But it never quite rid the feeling of loneliness as she had to watch the rest of the uniforms she served alongside run straight to their families. Kids, wives, husbands, sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers and other relatives all crying as they welcomed home their loved ones.

Ever since she had been recalled back into the military, ever since she had been forced to leave Oliver behind and head straight back into the gunfire and risking her life once more, the had communicated back and forth by letters and Oliver had always written her wishing that date when she came home would come quicker so he could take her up in his arms and not let her go again. He had promised he would be there when she returned.

Snapping back to the present once more as the mechanic sound filled the air around her, Felicity could feel the tension invade her system at the thought of only a few seconds stood between her and seeing her family again.

Remaining in position like she was commanded, Felicity's body worked in tandem with itself as her mind removed itself from the rest of her, focusing instead on the vast sea of faces filling the hangar, banners and flashes charging the air as she drowned in applause and whooping.

Moments passed as words of gratitude were spoken over the tannoy for the service fighting for their country, memories of the fallen being announced so they never were forgotten before they all broken up, separating to depart to their friends and family that stood waiting.

Gaze darting through the onslaught of the crowd of onlookers, Felicity scanned for the faces she wanted nothing more than to see before focusing on a barking blur of colour rapidly incoming.

"Gizmo!"

Tucking her plastered arm into her chest as she lowered herself onto one knee before those big brown doe eyes and non-stop wagging tail was upon her, Felicity throwing her good arm around the neck of the Pitbull as he nudged gently at her bruised torso, eyes darting up to her own with a knowing look.

"I know Buddy, I know" cradling half his head in one hand, Felicity was soon raising to her feet and breaking out in a huge smile as the sight of the group cheering for her looked her right back in the eyes.

Oliver, Lexi, Thea, Diggle, Lyla, Andy, Tommy, Laurel, Donna, Caitlin, Iris, Barry and Eddie all stood there applauding her, none of them going through the experience dry-eyed.

Not wasting a single moment longer, Felicity strode right over the group, accepting the multiple hugs from the lot of them, tears streaming down their faces at finally having her back with them again and now knowing that she's alright and not fearing for her life.

As the rest of them faded away Felicity glanced over to Oliver, who visibly took a sigh of relief at the sight of her right in front of him, probably thanking every single inch of life for bringing her back to him again.

It didn't take long for him to wrap his arms around her tightly, Felicity biting back a groan when a twinge of pain electrified her torso from the bruising she knew for a fact covered her skin but grateful it wasn't anything worse, and she knew for definite that the hug was more for Oliver's benefit than for her.

Running her hand over him, trying to soothe him as she felt his white hot tears on the skin of her neck as he buried his face in the crook of her neck, Felicity just tightened her grip on him when his whispers washed over her.

"I missed you" he whispered repeatedly into her skin, pulling back before covering her lips with his with a passionate kiss, one of his hands slipping back to cup the nape of her neck, Felicity answering back as much as she could to let him know she was there.

Taking their own car back to their home, after promising to everyone that they'd hold a BBQ a few days following so that everyone can just spend time with Felicity as well, Oliver's hand never left her skin as he guided her up straight into their bedroom, laying them both down so he could wrap his arms tight around her and stay there for hours to come, leaving her to bask in the warmth she had been missing for too long that was the love he held for her along with the words he left on her skin before drifting off.

_"You're finally back where you belong"_

One thing she loves most about Oliver is no judgement lies with him, so when he helped strip her of her uniform before burying her in his clothing, taking the chance to carefully run the tips of his fingers across the top of her bruises and roughly sewn up injuries, he hardly spoke a word.

It didn't take him long to fall asleep with the solid feel of his girlfriend safe in his arms against him, finally home with him, after so long spending night after night sleeping in an empty bed with nothing but coldness that he had tried to ignore to the best of his ability.

As she laid there watching the repetitive rise and fall of her boyfriend's chest, Felicity already knew there wasn't a slight chance that she would be able to fall asleep, not with all the factors weighing in.

It was always the same thing whenever she returned from touring, from places where her squad had had to force their bodies to stay awake in case of sudden attacks they didn't expect, she would never be able to catch a wink of sleep without waking up in a fit of panic drenched in sweat as the last images of her nightmare washed over her. Like clockwork, Felicity would simply stay awake and watch TV through the night as Gizmo settled beside her with his head on her thigh, so there wasn't any surprises that awaited her as the long hours of silence met her with open arms like an old friend welcoming her home.

However, that didn't mean that she would keep Oliver from getting a good night's sleep since she knew how much he had missed her from his letters and the strength of his grip, so she just laid there.

Instead her mind began drifting, floating in the memory of the first night following the events of their college reunion.

* * *

_After the reunion had officially ended at around midnight, some others having left earlier in order to put their children to sleep, they'd all finally gone their own separate ways but having exchanged numbers to stay in touch. _

_Oliver though had been as reluctant as she had been to part ways with one another, one thing leading to another and instead of proceeding back to her own hotel room, they had fallen back into their old way of loving each other, engaging in another kiss but this one being all the more passionate and all-consuming and ending with the pair of them in a cab heading to Oliver's penthouse suite he'd rented, his hands sending trails of heat wherever he touched but not going any further for the reason of the extra presence situated on her lap. _

_However, it turned out that Gizmo had been quite tired out from their trip as the moment they'd gotten into the suite he was out like a light after settling himself on the couch, leaving the couple to their own devices as Felicity disposed of her heels by the door, Oliver following in the action with his own shoes. _

_As the silence became charged between them, Felicity was thrown back to their first night together right at the beginning of their relationship and how being with Oliver in that context had made her feel, both giving a part of themselves to the other to cherish, that constant stream of passion directed towards her making her nerve endings stand on end, leaving trails of fire wherever he touched. _

_As though remembering himself, Oliver removed the distance between them, his hand lingering on her hands before they painted lines all the way up to face with his gaze following the path before refocusing in on his prime target, his lips lowering to hers, the action and heat cackling between them sparking at an old flame Felicity thought had been extinguished long ago. _

_Breathing in the lust that Oliver radiated, Felicity answered him back with her own kisses as Oliver pushed himself into her, colliding the rest of their bodies together, closing her eyes at the solidity of the wall against her back and his arousal as he brought their lower regions up against each other, Felicity reaching for the lapels of his suit jacket before knocking the material off his shoulders completely, smiling as he didn't give it a care as it fell to the ground._

_"I've missed being able to do this on a daily basis, just being able to kiss you whenever the hell I want throughout the day…_God _I've missed you so much Felicity" murmuring as he ran his lips down past her chin and over her jawline, teeth nipping at the skin of her throat as her hands grabbed at his biceps. _

_"You're not the only one" muttering back in a response, Felicity shoved at his firm chest, pushing him back and diverting their path towards, _she hoped_, the bedroom as Oliver ran his hands constantly over her, his hands grasping the globes of her arse and yanking her up against him, groaning against her lips, Felicity bolting her eyes shut at the raw feeling of him hard against her core sparking at emotions that coursed through her veins. _

_Upon feeling his hands ghosting over the back of her dress, Felicity gasped for much needed air as he steadily lowered her zipper, his other hand slipping in and spreading out between her shoulder blades. _

_She didn't need to watch him to know he was staring almost hungrily at her clad in only her underwear and it just made her efforts to get his shirt untucked from the waistband of his trousers all the more desperate. _

_Pausing momentarily at a wall in the hallway connecting itself to the bedroom, Oliver took the opportunity to propel them both against the wall, running his exploring hands down over the backs of her thighs and bending his knees, Felicity taking the hint and jumping up so she could wrap her thighs around him, making sure to roll her hips into his and consequently, colliding their arousals together. _

_She took pleasure in the groan of desire that escaped him, causing him to step closer to the wall, almost flattening her against the plaster in his need to be closer to her, his darkened eyes zoning in on hers. _

_Throwing her head back to give him better access and so she could breathe, Felicity tightened her thighs around him as he sucked profusely at the crook of her neck, just _needing _to leave a mark on her to prove to himself this was real, that this wasn't a dream he wished with everything he had was real. _

_It actually brought on memories she hadn't remembered for quite some time, mostly of when Oliver had had a tense day and when he returned to her apartment was on her within moments of their greeting, pushing her against the wall and ravishing her. He'd growled at her how much he just needed to mark her in that moment, to cover every inch of her skin with something of him. _

God_ the sex though had been so electrifying, she'd felt it all the way down in her toes every time they touched. How Oliver could hardly even keep his hands off her for even a moment, needing to be connected with her in any way no matter if it was kissing or the most primal way. _

_He looked her over with heated eyes a few hours following the event, it had taken her slipping out of his arms while he slept to find out why, she'd been _covered _in hickeys from head to toe. The more…private ones burning bright under her gaze. _

_"_God_, Oliver" taking the moment to glance at his eyes, her breath caught in her throat at the sight of his darkened, lust-filled gaze as he ran his eyes over her features before he turned them both towards the bedroom, his hands sliding back down to grasp her arse once more as he reclaimed her lips. _

_Shoving back the muscle memory drilled into to take in every aspect of her surroundings as they both entered the new room, Felicity instead focused on the repetitive roll of her hips, smirking at the low growl radiating from Oliver's throat at the action. _

_Practically feasting at her lips, she couldn't help the sharp intake of breath when she felt him slowly lower her down on the soft-as-flaming-hell mattress, her head being cushioned by the far-too-many pillows that fancy suites made a habit of providing, most of them spending the night on the floor. _

_Biting back at the whine bubbling up in her throat when he pulled back completely, standing in front of the bed in far too many items of clothing than she would've liked, Oliver's eyes never left hers as he removed every item of clothing still on him until he was left in nothing but his boxers, which certainly didn't hide his arousal as they tented, his member straining with need against the material. _

_Running his eyes over every single inch of the woman he loved more than life itself, his gaze mostly focused in on the severe scarring that her torso housed. _

_Crawling onto the bed like a hungry jungle cat stalking its prey, Oliver made quick work of the distance between them, lowering himself to the mattress so his head rested just above her stomach, eyes going to the scars Felicity bore from her years' worth of experience of hell, protecting others and herself from the horrors of war. _

_She wasn't ashamed of them. There was no way she could possibly feel ashamed of the scars and wounds that were still visible, the physical memories of the sacrifices and choices she had made in her line of duty. The scars she carried that reminded her every single day why she fought like she did, how she had saved and protected those both in need of help and who were just like her trying to make a difference in the world. _

_Those scars and wounds were as much a part of her as her arm of her leg…they just held more significance, more meaning. _

_She couldn't help the way her body stiffened as she felt his gaze scanning over her nearly naked skin, her eyes locked on the ceiling and refusing to leave the spot she focused everything on so when she felt Oliver's hand on her abdomen, it took all her training to fight back the flinch. _

_"…Felicity" murmuring her name into her skin as he began to lave each of her scars with his kisses, not leaving a single one gone untouched by him, her name falling from his lips as he moved over her and making Felicity close her eyes as the warmth and adoration spike at her toes, warming her entire body inside out. _

_She could barely feel his hands ghosting up her side until he reached his goal, skimming the material down over her legs and leaving her bare for him to see. _

_The passion clouding her senses, Oliver's murmurs of lust were nearly lost to her as they became distorted snippets of sound as she breathed in everything she had been missing for several years when she had convinced herself it was best for Oliver to just let him go._

_Crawling back up to hover over her, both their gazes locked, sparks cackling between them, as Oliver slowly let himself lower to cover her, not wasting a single moment in almost feasting on her neck, hitting spots he remembered had always triggered her in such powerful ways it still left him in awe. _

_Taking advantage when Felicity gasped aloud and arched into him, bringing their bodies all the more closer together, Oliver slid a sole hand beneath her arched back and flicked open the clasp of her bra, not caring about the material as he tore it from her body and tossed it over his shoulder somewhere. _

_Making sure she was still in the game Felicity circled her hips against his, taking pride in the way his breath hitched, and taking the opportunity to roll them over so she could get rid of his boxers, smirking as his member stood tall with arousal. _

_Gazing down at the same man she admitted she had never once stopped loving at all, Felicity straddled his stomach, leaning down slightly so that her bare breasts hung right in front of his face, not bothering to hold in the grin as she observed the way his eyes widened at the action. _

_Without even waiting for her words, Oliver used the hand he had placed on her back to lower her down even more so his lips could go straight to her nipples, moving between the both of them to bring her pleasure, the same thing he used to do when they were younger and making out in his bedroom, _sometimes when his mother had guests over and Oliver kidnapped her since he had no interest in his mother's guest at all.

_Pulling back, smiling when he chased her, Felicity placed both hands on either of his shoulders and pushed him firmly back down to the mattress, refusing to allow him anywhere near her, because she planned on giving him a surprise before he could make a move towards the action. _

_Panting heavily as he just watched her on top of him, Oliver gazed up at her in awe before cupping her face in his hands, running his thumb over her lower lip so slowly she thought he was almost trying to memorise it just solely from touch. _

_Not making any movement to halt his action as he sat up, Felicity felt herself falling into his deep blue eyes once again. Something she couldn't help when she was younger and felt almost consumed by the love that passed between them. _

_"You have no idea how much I missed you Felicity" practically whispering the words, Felicity tilted her head to the side as she smiled genuinely at him, feeling his eyes running all over her face. "How much I wished with every passing year…_every second_, that I could just find you again. I promised myself so many things that I would do if I finally got my chance again" _

_Even though she knew her colonel would be having her doing so many forfeits for not seeing the intention in his eyes, Felicity hardly gave it a thought as she allowed every single ounce of training that's been drilled into her for years to just seep out of her._

_"I need you Felicity, I need you like a craving I can't possibly satisfy" tightening his arms around her, one hand remaining stationary in the dip of her back whilst the other travelled up to rest between her shoulder blades. _

_Feeling herself drift towards him, their heads leaning in simultaneously before their lips collided in a fit of passion. _

_Smirking internally, Felicity circled her hips where she still straddled his hips, sitting right atop his arousal. Trying to quiet the part of her daring herself to shuffle herself and erase the miniscule distance that still remained between their cores being pushed together and being connected. _

_"_Felicity_" Oliver whispered, lust filling his voice, as he tugged her further against his chest and she didn't need to be looking at his face to know that he had his eyes shut tight. _

_Oliver growled before she found herself on her back with Oliver practically fusing his body to hers, getting in his own revenge for teasing him by rolling his hips against hers and pushing her deep into the mattress. _

_Hardly even stopping for a moment, his hand reached down to hook under her knee and pushed her leg up towards her chest, opening her up more as his hips never ceased rolling as his lips began feasting on the skin of her neck. _

_"Oliver" breathing out his name, Felicity threw her head back as the oh-so-familiar feeling of being loved crashed through her bloodstream, livening her heartbeat so much she feared her chest might burst at the sheer force. _

_"I need you Felicity" murmuring into her ear as he littered kisses across her skin, Felicity could hear his pure need that filtered into his voice and certainly being unable to ignore the hardness against her. "I can't wait anymore…I don't want to wait anymore" as he spoke, she gasped out audibly as his fingers dove right into her core, sparking such a reaction she could barely control. _

_"Oh God, Oliver" gasping out, Felicity bit back at the shiver brimming at the surface as he nuzzled her neck. _

_"I love you so much" _

_She could barely feel anything beside him, the erratic sound of her heartbeat pounding in her ears almost overwhelming her. _

_Though she had been through so many experiences where her heart had been pounding at the amount of fear surfaced, like when her squad were forced to jump from the plane transporting them to the war zone, never had she been in a position where it is was like this. Where the beating of her heart calmed her. _

_"…you feel so good" curling his digits in her hot heat, Oliver moaned as he continued to move over her, trailing kisses down over her neck all the way to her mouth once more, their tongues dancing with one another. "Do you remember how it used to be between us? How we used to spend endless weekends making love to one another?" _

_As passion flitted all around her, the atmosphere between them cackling as seconds passed them by. All she could see was the once young boy she had fallen so deeply in love with all those years ago that still live strongly in her memories, lying atop her gazing down upon her like she held the stars and hung the moon. _

_"I love you" groaning when his response was to devour her mouth, Felicity ran her fingers through his short tufts of hair before gripping it to use as purchase. _

_Losing track of the moments as they blurred around her, passion infiltrating deep within her as Oliver maximised the electricity she felt zapping through her as he thrust three fingers into her wet heat, Felicity went with the beat of her heart and the memories that were twisting and turning with the present as she loved Oliver. _

_Knowing they couldn't possibly wait any longer than they already had, Felicity took the chance as an orgasm washed over her to just breathe, drawing long breaths of oxygen into her lungs as she felt Oliver shifting above her, the desperation to fully connect with her evident by how he was attacking her neck with kisses and shifting his arousal through the warmth clustering between her thighs. _

_Steadying up her breathing, Felicity could feel Oliver's deep intakes of breath before they passed over that line that hadn't even see the light of day for several years, the last memory being the day before the end of high school and the day before she had planned to remove herself from his life in order for him to get the best out of everything, the potential for him so great. _

_Gaze slipping up to meet Oliver's, Felicity witnessed as emotions flew through his eyes as the darkened immensely with lust for her, reaching up a sole hand to entwine his fingers with hers, an anchor to clutch on to._

It seemed like she wasn't the only one who remembered how they used to be.

_"…Felicity" unable to stop herself from smiling in response, silent communication passing between them, Felicity fully accepted when he simply lowered himself down completely and took claim of her mouth with his own, covering her lips and proving to her just how much he had missed her. _

_Seemingly ignoring how her leg still remained in the previous position curled up against her chest, Oliver's hand made sure to hold it in position as their lower regions collided all the more harder, him reaching down to guide his arousal to where they both wanted it before returning back to her side as he thrust in…hard. _

_If she hadn't been lip locked with Oliver she would've gasped out aloud at the intrusion. At how as she felt him whole and true fully sheathed inside her, so many memories of how it used to be crashed into her mind, how her teenage-self used to feel as they made love throughout the nights of many. _

_Upon hearing his breaths coming out in an erratic manor, Felicity curled her other leg round his waist to bring them all the more closer, _if that was possible.

_Felicity forgot just how passionate Oliver was, especially when he made love to her so slowly it was as if she was being consumed by her own love and lust she held for him. _

_She had always feared that the sheer radiance she omitted for him would always be the end of her, but then moments like these happened, when she experience just how much Oliver reciprocated that love and how it affected him. _

_She'd been so stupid to just walk away from him, but looking back she knew she had made the right choice for his own good and to be completely honest if she had to, she'd make it again. But that didn't take away from how much pain she had been in afterwards, spending endless nights sleeping in his old sweater she'd stolen from him and still smelled like him, so it was as though he still was there when she closed her eyes. _

_Wrapping her arms round his torso and back to keep him still as she took the moment to feel all of him as he stretched her in the best way possible, she just gazed up at him once more as pure pleasure stole him away and she knew for a fact that the memories of their previous relationship were hitting him as well. _

_Keeping her breaths steady as he pulled back, Felicity engaged him in a passionate kiss as their hips rolled together in perfect harmony, every part of their bodies dancing with one another in a dance as old as time itself. _

_Shifting his grasp on the underside of her knee as he grasped more of her leg, Oliver slipped his other hand beneath her back to the dip of her spine and right down to the globes of her arse as his body continued to connect with Felicity's, his heart pummelling against his chest at the sight of the woman that has always been on his thoughts ever since he was forced to watch as she left him behind on those steps all those years ago. _

_When he was forced to just let her go, forced to watch as she took the steps to move on from him. _

_He never dreamed that he would be able to get to feel every single emotion washing over him right now ever again, that he would ever get to actually live out his dream that he's held onto for so many years. _

_"I love you…I love you so goddamn much Felicity" breathing heavy as he gazed upon her pleasured face, Oliver gasped breathlessly as he felt himself sink deeper in her wet heat as Felicity brought her other leg up to her chest, Oliver's hand squeezing the skin of her arse and bringing her further against him as he thrust inside her, his eyes rolling back in pure pleasure as his fingertips ghosted over where he disappeared inside her. _

_He couldn't help as his eyes shot open and watched with stuttered breath as his arousal disappeared inside her, how he moved within her which just added to the fire roaring within his very core. _

_"Oliver!" _

_"Felicity" murmuring her name into the skin of her neck, Oliver couldn't feel anything besides his love for her. _

_Gazing down at her, Oliver barely had a moment to register the mischievous look that passed her eyes before he found himself on his back with Felicity settled in his lap, a part of him enclosed deep within her. _

_Not caring for the desperation that was obvious in his voice, Oliver moaned when he felt her still above him, sinking him deep inside her but not allowing anything any further to occur. _

_"Felicity…_please_" _

_"Please what Oliver?" _

_"Don't stop" immediately sitting up to align their bare chests, bringing her breasts to his torso and crushing them against his overheated skin, Oliver bound his arms round her as she smirked at him, one hand trying to grasp the globes of her arse to keep her moving whilst the other just kept her anchored against him…he _needed _the contact right now. _

_Almost sighing in relief when she began moving once more, his eyes darted straight to hers as she seemingly scanned his face before pushing him down by his shoulders to the mattress. _

_"Can you feel me, baby?" shivering at the ferociousness in her tone, Oliver could barely keep his hands off her as she rode him. _

_"Fe-li-ci-ty" throwing his head back against the pillow, his mind teased him with the image that was currently above him as Felicity rode him into oblivion, everything that he's ever felt for her almost burning him alive with sensation, his arousal spiking as his hardness grew, genuinely concerned for her at the moment. _

_All he could feel was the connection as Felicity made him feel alive again, bringing him to so much pleasure he could barely even feel the rest of his body. _

_Eyes shooting open, Oliver felt her core tighten around him as she chased her release, her wet heat gripping his plunging cock as he continued to move within her. _

_Immediately, without a sole thought on the action, Oliver's hands found her behind and grasped the flesh within his palms, using it to collide their pelvises together even more as the sound of their skin slapping against each other the only sound audible in the room. _

_"Right there…oh God, Oliver" _

_Stars exploding behind her eyelids, her entire body roared with ecstasy as Oliver continued thrusting deeply into her, still chasing his own release. _

_Becoming almost limp against him, Oliver spun their positions, his actions desperate and relentless as he brought both her legs against her chest, his pounding her into the mattress as he neared oblivion. _

_Hardly a sound escaped him as his released rolled over him, Felicity gasping in pure pleasure as he thrusted deep inside her, his cock emptied and coated her walls with his hot seed, feeling him so deeply it zapped at her nerve endings, his face turning into the skin of her neck. _

_"…that was…wow" exhaling the words, Felicity shuddered as she felt him littering wet kisses along her neck. _

_Just when she thought he was going to pull out of her and roll onto his back so he could pull her into his side, Oliver shifted within her which made his now softened cock to brush against her walls making her moan out but still remained connected. _

_"I want to stay right here" Oliver whispered softly as he mouthed his lips over the top of her ear. _

_"Oliver" she moaned out in bliss. _

_"No, no buts…I want to stay right here, forever…so this is what it's like to be insatiable, I've missed this feeling so much" _

_The two of them made out like the horny teenagers they used to be before Felicity decided she needed a shower, literally able to feel some of both their cum sliding down the inside of her thigh, Oliver following her in without even a sound. _

_They'd made love in the showers again, Oliver thrusting into her whilst he held her up against the shower wall and against as she turned the water off and again before they finally fell asleep with their limbs intertwined. _

Actually it was kind of pointless to have the shower when Oliver was just going to make her dirty all over again, pun intended.

_One thing though, the memory of how she woke up on her side with her back to Oliver's chest, his right arm thrown over her waist, was definitely something she'd always remember. _

* * *

Sighing quietly, Felicity shifted and stilled when Oliver shifted behind her, his grip on her tightening as he brought her further back against him, nuzzling his nose against the nape of her neck before falling back into the leagues of sleep once again.

During that first night together after the reunion a thought had stayed routed within the confines of her mind, what if she had a night like she had shared with Oliver to return home to whenever she went overseas or into the middle of a gunfight.

It had been an honest question she had asked herself but she had answered it for herself by thinking of how Oliver would react when he was with her during her return-from-war-hell and she decided it wasn't fair on him.

How she wouldn't sleep because she knew what awaited her if she did and she didn't trust herself once her eyes were closed.

How she spent the best part of the night jogging laps round the block in which she lived with Gizmo at her side.

Breathing out as she tried to focus on that night with Oliver, she found herself drifting back to what she had experienced overseas, on her last mission to date, the deaths occurring around her.

She never told Oliver how much death she had been a part of…that she had witnessed…that she had tried to save but failed.

It had been a good call not to bring Gizmo though, she never wanted for him to be drug into the fighting, the death, the horrors of war that nobody ever spoke of but still went unspoken in everyday life that people seemed to just build around.

"Felicity?" Oliver's sleepy voice quizzed, Felicity now just realising that he had woken up and realised she was still awake but he knew more than well enough about the phase she forced herself into to try and come to terms with everything that happened to her that she never told him. "…you're still awake" sighing as he guided them both up to sit back against the headboard, Oliver turned his gaze towards her.

"You know I never sleep after returning from missions, so why you're surprised I don't actually know"

"You're not thinking about the war though, are you?" turning to look at him, it always surprised her just how well he knew her. "What you thinking about, Felicity?"

"…about that night we shared for the first time after the reunion"

"Hmm, I remember. A night full to the brim of everything we'd both missed out on. I remembered again just how much I love you, how everything used to be so…remarkable between us"

"It's not just that though…it just made me think…" sighing as she moved her gaze to the ceiling, leaning her head against the headboard, as she found her words before continuing on, "it just made me think that when I returned from war and everything, I always used to return with nobody there to welcome me home. Yeah, sure, sometimes my mum would be there when she'd gotten the time off work and all….but it wasn't the same as returning to someone you love_ intimately_. Trust me, it really does make the difference"

"What do you mean?" Oliver asked, curious about the last part of her statement.

"_I mean_, how it used to be…it wasn't as though I was _trying _to get myself killed. It was just that if there was a chance where I could save someone else that had more to lose…like an actual family they'd built themselves with another person they shared a life with, then I would've taken it, like trading my life for theirs. I preferred it when _I _was the one in pain because then I knew everyone else was okay" seeing as though what she'd just said made a not-so-good impact on him, Felicity added quickly, "…I knew my mum was going to be affected by it, I know that despite anything that could've possibly happened to me, she would always be there. But it's just, _then_, I didn't have anyone else that was then linked my own life, like I have you now…if that makes sense"

"Yeah, Felicity…it makes sense. I hate the sound of it, but yeah you make sense. But you know that you're by now means alone now…right?"

"Don't worry Oliver, not only am I not a Marine anymore so I don't have to go overseas and fight in the war but I know that what I've got now, I'd never in 1000 years want to lose" glancing over at him with a smile, Felicity continued further as she slid out of their bed and dressed herself in a pair of her yoga pants and some underwear along with his shirt she already was wearing, had been wearing as a sleeping top. "Anyways, you know I can never fall asleep during these nights, so I'm going to go watch a movie or something or other. You get some sleep though, I can see those bags beneath your eyes" she told him whilst heading for the door.

"It'd be no use, I'm not going to be able to sleep without feeling you beside me. Don't mind if I keep you company, do you?" smiling over to his partner, _since she always rolled her eyes at the term girlfriend whenever he used it aloud_, the two of them made their way down to the living room and joined each other on the couch as they began watching Netflix.

After a while though Felicity flicked her gaze over to Oliver, who was steadily falling asleep against the back of the couch, and had to smile at his cuteness before guiding him to fall asleep with his head on her lap, her fingers running through his short hair as her eyes remained set on the TV, Gizmo and Lexi sleeping soundly on the floor in front of where she sat with her partner asleep in her lap.

All in all it was nights like these that made Felicity most grateful for deciding to go to that reunion, being able to basically pick off right where they left off, and as Netflix joined her night of silence, _as she sort of called it whenever she returned from missions_, she's got to say this is definitely worth returning home for.

Smiling as she realised that she'd somehow found that something she'd always been in search of, Felicity settled against the couch thinking this was her life now with the man she loved most of all.


	91. Silence

**So here's another chapter for you guys, I'm currently working on slightly longer pieces so that's the reason why I'm taking so long to update but I promise I'll try to give you guys something in the meantime. **

**This mainly centres around what I really want to have happen in the show between Olicity but I know won't so, instead, I'm writing it and it'll be alive in a new way...that sounded so creepy. Oh btw, I'm not entirely happy with the ending.  
**

**Anyways, plz tell me your thoughts and leave a review. **

**Thanks and enjoy x**

Sighing in relief as she leant back against the back support of her chair, Felicity rolled her shoulders, finally giving her hands the rest they need from typing away at the keyboard what felt like all day. She had always detested remaining in one position for too long since she was a child, the type of old habit that you don't grow out of, had stayed with her through her years and remained strong.

Taking the chance to close her eyes, Felicity blocked out all thoughts of Darhk, Merlyn, Diggle's brother, losing one of her best friends, everything that's giving her one hell of a headache and focused on the current present but for some reason she couldn't just relax her body, there was just something missing.

Just listening, Felicity's eyes opened as she took in the type of silence in the bunker.

It was 10 o'clock on a Friday night, most people probably would've left for home but not her she hasn't considered what most would deem 'normal' her life for over a good few years now.

But, still, there was just…_something_ amiss.

Normally she loved the silence, letting it just soothe her and comfort her in more ways than one, however, this silence was the type that was suffocating to say the least.

Forgoing the thought of slipping her heels back on, Felicity padded down from her control platform and towards where she knew the only other team member resided, a certain green-clothed-bow-wielding vigilante that had a knack for taking all the weight of the world upon his shoulders.

_She wouldn't be surprised if he blamed Global Warming on himself to be quite honest_.

In the past few weeks Oliver had taken every aspect of it all rather harshly, she doubted that an uninterrupted, blissful, nightmare-free night's sleep came his way most days.

Peeking into the room he had moved himself into since she'd called off the engagement and their relationship, Felicity's heart stuttered at the sight before her.

There, sat on the edge of the cot, was her hero with his head in his hands and his shoulders hunched, she knew just from the sight alone Oliver was taking it harder on himself than he should.

She hated when he would put himself in this state, the kind where it enabled her to actually sneak up on him without him even realising until she stood right in front of him.

Knowing she should just retreat back to her computers then return ho-…to her place of rest, since it wasn't really her place to be _that _person for him, Felicity found herself ignoring the logical part of her and instead focusing on her heart, which told her to be Oliver's _partner _and be there for him.

_Before everything, she had been his partner and she still was too. _

Silently making her way over to where Oliver sat, Felicity didn't think about her next action towards comforting him, instead she just listened to her heart and went with her instincts.

Reaching forward, she ran her fingers through his hair, standing as close to him as she could with the bed in her way and it didn't take Oliver long to respond.

During the months away together, he had told her that he always knew when it was her with him because he felt safe, like he could drop the walls holding him together and lean on her strength, hide within her shelter until he was ready to face the world once more.

Shifting, Oliver's forehead came to rest against her stomach as his hands went to her hips and loosely gripped her to him.

Knowing what he needed from the way his head lulled against the softness of her stomach, Felicity slid herself onto his lap so she straddled him and wrapped her legs round his waist. She never knew why the position always helped him so much but whenever she practically wrapped herself completely around him and just gripped him, he always felt like he was relinquishing his hold on himself to her, relying on her to hold him together and protect him…something rarely anyone has done.

Barely even a moment passed before both his arms were banded round her back, holding her so tightly against him that she couldn't pull away even if she wanted to.

"Felicity" Oliver whispered as he buried his head into the crook of her neck, trying to hide from the coldness of the world and draw some of her light and warmth into his own being.

"I got you" murmuring against his temple, Felicity remained still as she just held the man that always remained strong and solid for everyone other than himself, never giving himself the luxury of just breathing without the fear of what happens next. "I got you Oliver"

"I can't breathe…I-…with everything that's happened" gasping out almost breathlessly against her skin, Felicity ran her hands up his back and tried massaging out his muscles. "…with Darhk and Merlyn and-and Laurel…_God_, none of this was supposed to happen. We were supposed to be happy, together and far away from this hell hole…the place where everything bad happens to those who live here. It's like a curse we can never escape"

Not giving in to the impulse to withdrawn when he mentioned their happiness back in Ivy Town, bringing upon the memory of Bali in her mind, Felicity continued to draw her fingers up and down his back.

"I know, I know" bringing her hand up into his short tufts of hair, she smiled as he moaned in pleasure.

"This city is my life. I was born here, I grew up here…this is the resting place for my family, the Queen family…_and Tommy_. Yet, all this place has ever done for me is bring death and destruction to my life, tearing those I love and care for away from me before I can stop it. It used to be so completely different before everything happened" upon feeling the hot tears against her skin, Felicity tightened her grasp on him. "My father, Tommy, my mother, my sister, Laurel…they've been taken from me and I couldn't do anything to stop it. I felt helpless, like I do now"

"Don't think for one second that you're alone in this Oliver, because you're not. You have so many people willing to fight beside you until the bitter end. Your father ensured you survived and righted his wrongs, _made the City a better place for others_. Tommy died saving the woman he loved and he was with someone he loved, _his brother_. Your mother protected you, _protected her children_. Laurel…Laurel died fighting for what she believed in and she believed in you and everything you stand for. Thea you've still got, she's turned into a woman that both your parents would be proud of…someone who fights for what they know is right"

With every word she spoke Felicity could feel her own tears flooding her eyes, using her strength to continue to keep them at bay since it was Oliver's turn to be comforted, not her own.

"You are what people believe in, somebody who is _strong enough _to bring about change, to help and protect those who are in need of it. Someone people rely on, who they trust to guard the City they live in…_their home_. You are the hero that every single person needs, Oliver" pulling back to grasp his face between her palms, she brushed away the tears as she moved her face close to his. "You. Are. A. Hero and nobody is going to change that" smiling through her tears, Felicity smiled as those two blue orbs swam in tears as she laid the truth down for him in black and white. "But even heroes need their rest"

Without speaking a single word, Oliver brought Felicity against him so there was no space between them and laid himself back with her still firmly against his chest, shifting them both so they were both on their sides with her still in his arms.

"Stay?" he asked, the desperation and pleading behind his voice and eyes reaching out and yanking hard on her heartstrings.

"Of course" _under different circumstances she would've probably told him 'always', but truth be told, she didn't know anymore. She prayed though, she prayed they'd be able to make it back together again. _

After gazing deeply into her eyes and gaining her confirmation, Oliver nodded before slipping further down the bed and cuddling up to her side, slotting into her side and resting his head above her breasts, wrapping himself round her like a vine.

"Night, Felicity" muttering, Oliver barely lasted another 10 seconds before his eyes closed and he was fast asleep in the blissful leagues of sleep.

If she could push her own pain of having to be with Oliver but not actually _being with him_, so that he could actually get a decent night sleep, then so be it. She'd sacrifice an entire week's sleep if it gave Oliver the solidity, the anchor he needed to tie himself to make sure he didn't drift off into the darkness.

They were _partners_.


	92. Frozen In Time

**With this concept, it's not that I hate Ray it's just that in the third season (at the time) he was getting in the middle of Olicity and that's one of the reasons why I hated him for it. So this is mostly that part of me still venting..._one of the many reasons I love with a writer/author 3 _**

**Hope you enjoy, plz don't forget to leave a review to tell me your thoughts/prompts. **

**Thanks and enjoy x**

Breathe…breathe…breathe…breathe…

Repeating to herself like a mantra, Felicity compelled herself to take steady deep breaths, in through her nose and out through her mouth like she had done when she was younger and had awoken with nightmares, forcing herself to get through it herself because she never wanted to disturb her mum since she already had enough on her plate.

It wasn't that she was scared or anything by what this meant, it was just what it might mean to _him_ was what concerned her most of all.

Shifting where she sat back against her bathtub, Felicity took the chance to take a few more steady breaths before glancing down at what she held in her hands, what might hold the potential to change her life completely.

Gazing down at the white stick that displayed the two red lines that held such weight, Felicity slouched more against the solidity of her bathtub, relying solely on it to hold her up, as she thought about how she could even begin to think of how to tell _him_ that he was now going to be a father in a couple months.

_God_, _this wasn't supposed to be happening! Not that she hated the beginning of a life that was now growing inside her or anything, it was just…this isn't what she expected to have now in her life, this wasn't part of her plan she had formed when she first moved to Starling._

_But on second thought, how was anything that she was now part of part of her plan? _

_She hadn't planned on joining a team of vigilantes, to help guard and protect the City against attacks by villains and metahumans, people with powers of all kind? She hadn't planned on becoming someone she would've considered her own personal hero when she was younger alongside some of the people she considered family. _

_But this though? This…this was completely different from what she spent her nights doing. She was going to be growing a baby inside of her, going to be becoming a mother in averagely nine months. _

"How do I tell him though? How do I…?" murmuring to herself her thoughts aloud, Felicity simply leant her head back against the cool surface of her tub, not knowing what to do.

* * *

"What do you mean you're pregnant?" his voice asked, an underlying tone of disbelief at her words.

"What do you think I mean, Ray?" replying to his disbelief, Felicity stood from her previous position sat on one of the couches in his office, what used to be _Oliver's _office. "…you're going to be a father, in round about nine months but since pregnancy isn't a rock solid thing and the due date of the baby isn't always on the given day/month, it-" not helping the ramble, Felicity's hands flailed about as she used them, gesturing all over the place.

"I'm going to be a father?" interrupting her swiftly, Ray began pacing in front of her before coming to a halt in front of her. "I can't be a father Felicity! You of all people should know this! I've got too much on my plate to worry about the result of a one night stand. This shouldn't have happened, you said you were on the pill and in case I used that condom. So tell me Felicity, how could you have let this happen!? You were supposed to be the responsible one!"

Standing there in absolute shock as the words streamed out of his mouth like a river, Felicity couldn't believe what he was saying.

"_…result of a one night stand?" _almost whispering the words, it was like she'd been doused with freezing cold water.

_Is that what he really considered their child as? The result of a one night stand?_

"You have to get rid of it"

As though everything abruptly came to a standstill, slamming into her, Felicity gasped as the words repeated themselves in her mind.

"_Excuse me?"_ not even _attempting _to form a barrier between her and the rage storming up within her, she didn't house a care about the consequences of her words. "What did you just say?"

"You heard me Felicity, you need to get an abortion. I can't have people knowing that I got one of my employees pregnant. Do you have any idea what that would do to my career? It'd destroy me!"

_If she wasn't considering the life inside her right now, this would definitely be going another route. _

"If you think for one damn second that I'm just going to kill an innocent being that hasn't even had the chance to breathe yet, you are solely mistaken. I can't believe I actually allowed myself to sleep with you! You don't give a shit about anyone besides yourself, you selfish son of a bitch! You think you get a damn say about even an aspect of _my baby_, you are so wrong you're on the wrong continent. But don't worry Ray, I won't bother you about anything concerning my child. You know what, I quit. I can't even stand to look at you after saying that! Anna's probably thanking her lucky stars that she doesn't have to put up with an egotistical arsehole like you!"

Allowing her words to run amok, Felicity spun on her heel and strode towards the door before he had a chance to speak a word, plans already forming in her mind about what she was going to do to him after he just said that but she had more than enough sense to not blurt it aloud right then because of the cameras.

Collecting her laptop she always kept at her desk, Felicity didn't concern herself about the other stuff on her desk since it wasn't all that important to her anyways.

Probably one of the benefits of not personalising her desk.

Trying to staunch her anger for the sole benefit of her child, Felicity vented her fury within the confines of her mind as the elevator brought her down to the ground floor.

She didn't need to be a genius to know for a fact where she was going next.

* * *

Taking several deep breaths as she stood before the door that lead straight down to the lair, knowing that if she went down there in the current state she was in now the team would know instantly that something was wrong and wouldn't leave her alone until she admitted her troubles, Felicity's hands unconsciously smoothed down invisible creases in her dress as she tried to keep herself from resting her hands atop her stomach, the words that Ray spoke obviously sparked at some maternal instinct stemming deep within her.

Stealing another deep breath as her hand typed into the password, Felicity controlled her gait to not appear rushed as she walked down the staircase, her heels clacking against the floor as she moved through the lair, the rest of the team scattered about going about their own business.

She hardly was able to remember the walk over to her desk, not able to take in the rest of the team as she shifted in her chair, trying to focus herself mainly on the work she knew she needed to do.

_If she was properly in the moment currently, she would've noticed her much her hands were shaking against the keyboard as her fingers fell into the natural beat they always made as they danced across the keys. _

"Felicity!" sharply inhaling as Oliver's voice finally broke through her train of thoughts, Felicity's gaze darted to meet his own as she noted the way the entire team seemed to be hovering round her desk, all of them wearing the same concerned expression. "Are you okay? You seem…distracted ever since you got here. I had to call your name a couple times before I got through to you"

Cursing herself for not paying more attention to her surroundings, Felicity shifted her feet, _a habit she's always had since college_.

"Yeah, I feel fine. You don't need to worry about me" as soon as she spoke the words she knew she said the wrong thing and that they'd have the opposite effect.

"Felicity, what's wrong?" from the expression he wore on his face, Felicity knew she was in trouble, her gaze darting round to the others for help but got nothing but more concern. "Felicity, you've been shaking ever since you got in here and you're too distracted to actually notice what's going on around you" watching as he covered one of her hands that she saw was shaking quite badly, she once more looked to catch his gaze.

"It doesn't mean anything anymore…I'm fine. It doesn't matter that…_he_ doesn't care, I'll be fine"

"Felicity, what are you talking about? Who's _he_?" Diggle questioned from where he stood next to Oliver, the brotherly quality she loves making an appearance, she's always considered Digg basically the older brother she's never had.

Closing her eyes, she leant her elbow on her desk, resting her head in her palm as she sighed.

"…about two weeks ago I ended up sleeping with Ray. It was a tough day with investors and stuff…and, one thing lead to another. This morning I found out that I was pregnant, ever since that night I've been feeling nauseous and I was curious so I took a test when someone made a comment on how much like morning sickness it seemed" finally opening her eyes to greet the still patient ones of her team, and the slightly annoyed expression of Oliver's that he was trying to hide but it seemed he was as rubbish at it as he was lying.

"Is that why you're shaking so much?" Sara asked, sat on the edge of the desk where Digg cleaned his guns, Roy leaning up against it with his arms crossed.

"…I told him as soon as I got into work today…his response wasn't what I expected" laughing angrily at the comment as she thought about it, Felicity turned her eyes to a random bit of space in the lair.

"What did he say?" Oliver's curiosity asked.

Locking eyes with him as she didn't bother to cover up the sheer intensity of her anger, Felicity answered his question.

"He told me that he didn't have time to care about the result of a one night stand and to abort it"

As she words were spoken aloud, the silence that was almost suffocating in itself practically screamed at her, her eyes going to all those of the team and witnessed the moment of their anger bubbling away beneath their skin.

"…and I quit because if I have to look at his face for even one more second, I'm going to end up doing something I probably won't regret"

"He said that about a baby he helped create?" Oliver's fury voiced. "He doesn't deserve to be a father"

"Don't I know it" feeling her anger subside as the reality of the situation drifted into her system, Felicity breathed out an exhale. "Besides, I don't need his help in any way, shape or form. I've basically helped raise myself since a young age and I can most certainly raise this kid myself"

"You think you're alone?" the question she didn't expect to hear broke the silence, her attention shooting to Roy as he frowned. "You by no means are alone, Felicity"

"He's right, you're part of this team. You don't have to do this alone" Diggle pitched in, a smile warming his features and making her smile as each member of the team looked pointedly at her, in agreement with Roy and Diggle. "To be honest with Lyla, Thea and Lance knowing, you're probably going to be wishing you didn't say anything"

"You're certainly not going on any undercover OPs though, that's out of the question" Oliver added.

"You might want to expect me coming round in the mornings. I know for a fact that you sometimes skip breakfast if you get up late" Sara added, smirking knowingly at her.

"Well this is going to be fun" she stated sarcastically, thinking just how right Diggle was.

* * *

Since she had told the team about the pregnancy, so many things had happened.

Apparently the son of a bitch had decided to up and leave the City and the company, giving Oliver full reins and so in essence not only giving Felicity back her job but promoting her as the minute he returned he gave her the position of VP of Applied Sciences, Diggle returning as head of security.

Every morning since that date, Felicity has been woken by Sara greeting her and basically forcing her to eat breakfast, replacing almost every piece of junk food she had in her fridge and cupboards with a healthy version.

Roy had basically taken up the post as her bodyguard, making sure she gets home in one piece. Felicity has never known him to be as protective as he has become in the last few weeks.

Every so often Lyla basically has Diggle and the rest of the team kidnap Felicity and bring her to dinner to feed her the vitamins and minerals she needs both for herself and the baby.

So really as far as it's been there are days where she wishes she never told the team, like Diggle had laughed about all those weeks ago, but like almost 40% of the time she actually enjoys and thanks the fact that she's got such amazing friends.

Even at lunchtimes though when Felicity's got a lot of work to get through, between Diggle and Oliver the two always makes sure to pop round and guarantee that she's not starving herself and the baby, even Sara surprises her and takes her out for lunch, ordering a salad for her when she's not watching.

In some random moments Felicity just simply stops everything she's doing to just rest her hands atop her not-even-speed-bump belly excited more than she can explain at the thought of holding her baby that's growing inside her. To top it off though, these moments sometimes lead to her curling around her stomach on her couch with a blanket she always throws over the back of her couch.

The slightly more infuriating moments are those of which when she's in the lair and Oliver takes it upon himself to guarantee she doesn't spend over a certain time behind the screen of a computer, so when her time ticks over the permitted allowance (_she hates him so much for that when he told her, even going so far as to changing his phone's ringtone every chance she gets…when it started playing Sir Mix-A-Lot 'I Like Big Butts' during one of his workouts, _God _her stomach hurt so much_), Oliver basically carried her over to the cot and told her to get some rest, dropping a salad or some other healthy stuff in her lap.

* * *

Trying to focus fully on the multiple documents he had scattered over the top of his desk in need of his signature, Oliver could hardly keep his attention focused on the documents for more than a minute before his eyes flicked back to the black screen of his phone.

Every morning when she gets in Felicity always texts him, it's become sort of like a routine between them and Diggle to secure her safety and to set their minds at rest knowing she's in the same building as them.

But right now, the fact that there's no text on his phone from her is sending his mind in full panic mode, thinking multiple reasons behind the fact that she hasn't texted him yet.

_Maybe she just forgot?_

_Maybe she's too busy?_

_Maybe her phone died and she forgot to charge it?_

_Maybe she forgot her phone?_

_Maybe she's with Diggle and they're too distracted getting into one of their sibling-like conversations?_

No matter how many reasons he came up with they weren't able to take away from that sole one that seemed to stand out of the crowd.

_What if she couldn't? _

Exhaling the rest of his will to try and ignore the growing concern for the lack of contact with her, Oliver ran a hand through his short tufts of hair.

He already knew that she wasn't sick because if she was then she would've called, every time she's been sick despite if it's so bad she's confined herself to her bed or a bad case of the cramps or something or other, she's always managed to give him a call to let him know and put his mind at ease.

Just when he's about to ring Sara or Roy and ask if they can swing round her place to check, her face lights up his phone and he exhales in relief, picking up her call instantly.

The first thing that he was met by was her heavy breathing, something he'd never heard when she's called him, setting off alarm bells in his mind.

"…Oliver?" her literally had to grasp hold of his desk for fear that he might fall when he hears her voice.

_He's never heard her that terrified. _

"Felicity?"

Between the two of them they've established a baseline so in his single question he's asking her so many unspoken questions.

_Are you okay?_

_Are you hurt?_

_Where are you?_

"…_Oliver_…t-there's so much blood"

Without even faltering, Oliver is on his way out of his office and en route to her townhouse, not hanging up the call, _needing _to continue to talk to her.

"Felicity, are you at home?"

As he passed Diggle, he shot the man a look and without a word he started towards the Bentley. The two men praying that it wasn't as bad as they thought.

"…_I-I'm in the bathroom_" slamming his eyes shut as he got into the passenger seat of the car at the smallness of her voice, the fear emitting through even through the phone. "_Oliver_…why is there so much blood?"

"Felicity, listen to me okay. You need to breathe, we'll be there as fast as we can but you need to tell me what's wrong so I can help, okay?" when she didn't reply, Oliver strained his hearing to at least catch some clips of her breathing but he heard nothing and it wasn't helping him at all. "Felicity? Felicity!"

As the distance between them and Felicity was diminished, Oliver could hear his heart pounding against his chest as he literally sprinted up to the door and used the spare key she had given the team in case of emergencies to get in as Diggle called for an ambulance, the bathroom already in his sights.

_Thank god she lived in a bungalow. _

His heartbeat was the only thing he could hear as he made his way through to the bathroom.

He's both witnessed and experienced a lot of things that he still wishes he never had, that have hardened him into the man he is today but never, _never_, has he seen such fear on a person's face as he did when he saw Felicity on the floor of her bathroom in a pool of her own blood staring at the crimson liquid.

_He would never be able to un-see what lay out before him_.

Running his eyes desperately over her form, he couldn't spot any wounds or injuries that would explain the sheer amount of blood on the floor…

_…the baby._

Even as Oliver made his way over to her, wrapping his arm round her shoulders, Felicity never moved an inch from her current position. It was as though she were in a sort of trance.

"Felicity…talk to me, please baby, talk to me" not noticing the name drop, Oliver cupped her face between both his palms and turned her towards him, gasping in shock at just how distant her eyes seemed. "Felicity, _please_…talk to me"

"…_so much blood_…" sharp knives stabbed into his heart at how broken her voice sounded as she whispered into the space between them, _as little as there was_, before the moment was broken by Diggle calling Oliver's name, telling him the ambulance was here.

That's when it truly hit him. The blood on the floor, the paleness of her skin, how much she was shaking.

Without another word passing between them, Oliver scooped Felicity up in his arms before striding out the door and towards the flashing lights.

It seemed as though she was unresponsive to anything as he tried desperate and almost frantic attempts to get her to speak, get her to move, more than she had whilst in the bathroom, more than those few words she had murmured to him over the phone.

Tightening his arms around her as the paramedics came rushing towards him, the sight of Felicity covered in blood making Diggle's step falter, Oliver knew for a fact that he wasn't letting Felicity out of his sight unless he was dead.

Apparently, the sight of multiple strangers rushing towards her and Oliver and the flashing lights hypnotising her had a stronger affect then he could've possibly thought.

As the paramedics moved closer, Felicity began flailing in an attempt to move herself away from the strangers and lights, not being able to hear Oliver's voice trying to get through to her until he was forced to lay her down on the gurney to cup her face and force her to look straight at him whilst the paramedics inserted her IV and other medical jargon.

"Hey Felicity, eyes on me okay. Keep your eyes on me" whispering to her, cutting out the others in the back of the ambulance as best he could, as though they were the only ones in the cocoon he was trying to create.

Throughout the duration of the journey to the hospital, neither one of them broke the eye contact as the paramedics moved Felicity into one of the hospital rooms, Oliver running alongside the entire time.

* * *

"I'm so sorry Ms. Smoak-" as the doctor spoke the next few words, Felicity could barely bring herself to listen as he said it…said those words that basically shot holes into that maternal part of her, that broke her heart like glass.

Curling away from the doctor, she didn't try and care about holding any of it back. What was the point anyway?

But she couldn't bring herself to say _that _word.

How could she? How could she say that she would never be able to know or hold that life she has fallen in love with for weeks? To know that she'd never get to know if she would've had a little boy or girl, not to have gotten to name them?

Upon feeling two strong arms wrap around her and move her against a firm surface, Felicity didn't care if she acted like a child then she needed the comfort, she curled her body up against his chest like she used to do with her mum when she was younger, clutching hold of his shirt in a white knuckle grip and cried silent sobs against him as all her words had been stolen from her, leaving her with nothing.

_With as much as she felt_.

No words came to her then…nothing was spoken, or shared…it was just silence.

_God how she hated the silence. _

"I got you Felicity, I got you" practically falling limp in his hold as he brought her head against his neck, she breathed in needed oxygen as his hands began stroking her spine. "_We _got you"

Noticing the change of words, Felicity pulled back to look up at Oliver's face before over her shoulder to where the rest of the team had now gathered to support her, like they'd done in preparation for the new member.

"It'll be okay sweetheart, it'll get better. I promise you" Lance was the one person she didn't actually expect to see, she hadn't the slightest idea that he considered her close. "You'll get through this"

She never knew why but without noticing it, Lance has become sort of like a fatherly figure to her and she doesn't understand why she has seemed to unknowingly bond with him like she would her own father. Maybe it's to do with the fact that he always manages to make her feel safe, like a father would do.

"You're not going to be alone in this Felicity, we're here for you all the way whenever you need us" Sara said as she moved forward to wrap her own arms round Felicity, despite the seeming endless trails of tears flowing from her eyes.

"Thank you" her gaze moving round to the entire room, and Oliver who still kept her cuddled against his chest in his lap.

* * *

In the months following, Felicity grew better and stronger but she still felt like she needed something to just…remember her baby.

So during one of the weeks Oliver had strictly given her to rest and recoup, she had built her own memorial.

Sara found her one time just sitting in the garden in front of the stone she had decorated with non-washable paint she knew wouldn't fade away. It still sent a pang through her heart that she never got the chance to actually meet her baby she'd shared her body with for all those weeks.

**_PRECIOUS BABY_**

**_WE HARDLY KNEW YOU, BUT YOU WILL BE FOREVER MISSED._**

Because of the way she had been planning on designing the nursery, she had topped the gravestone off with a painting of a teddy, something she had loved when she was younger so wanted to be able to share it with her baby even though they wouldn't be with her physically to share the love.

It turns out the gravestone in her garden actually gave her the necessary push for her to get through the rest of it, demonstrating that she's putting her baby to rest in a place she'll always remember.

With the support of the team, and Lance, Felicity returned pretty soon to her regular days. With Sara swinging by in the mornings to make sure she gets something to eat, Diggle sometimes passing by to pick her up and drive her to work with Oliver. Then for Roy to still be her bodyguard and make sure she makes it home safely, sometimes even crashing on her couch when he's also too tired to move any further.

* * *

Smiling over at the rest of team who were already situated round the table of the bar they'd chosen to habitat tonight, Felicity sat between Roy and Sara, falling straight into the flow of conversation.

If anyone were to ask her when this actually came to be, she doubted she would be able to provide an answer since it had sort of just become a routine that had formed with every Friday night after their work shifts had ended.

Despite whatever anyone said, as the Friday euphoria set in with the thought of the weekend to just relax, they always seemed to find themselves at the same bar every night no matter what, even securing themselves a table the bar knew practically belonged to them.

Oliver and Diggle sat back against their chairs, laughing heartily as they conversed with one another about something she probably didn't even want to know about while she joined Sara and Roy as they gossiped about the potential path the other guy's' conversation could be heading in.

The answers they were coming up with were just down right hilarious and making Felicity's stomach hurt as the three of them leant back against the backs of their chairs, desperately needing the solidity to hold them up, Oliver and Diggle giving them all glares knowing they were up to no good.

Laughter flowed within the room as the team just relaxed in one another's presence, just enjoying some _them-time_ since they rarely were ever able to just _be_ without something in their lives going completely haywire.

_She should've known it wouldn't last_.

Unconsciously lifting her gaze to the rest of the bar, Felicity froze in her tracks when she found the very face not only did she never think she'd see again but the very one she wants to turn black and blue.

_Ray Palmer_.

Noticing her abrupt halt in their conversation and her tense state, the team followed her gaze and also froze but in anger at the one man they wished off the face of the Earth.

Not being able to do much as Ray's line of sight ran over their table and focused in on Felicity, the team fell into that protective state as they watched helplessly as Felicity was forced to face her fury.

"What are you doing here Palmer?" Oliver practically growled, pushing to his feet and moving to stand between him and his girl.

"It's a bar, Queen. People come to bars to relax, _enjoy _themselves and whatnot" replying with that tone that made Felicity want to punch him in the face several times over, Ray turned his sights back to Felicity once more.

"You know damn well that's not what I mean. Walk away now before it turns ugly"

"I think it already has the minute _he _showed up" pulling on a fake smile, Felicity slouched further into her seat as she never broke eye contact with the douchebag.

"Is this how you greet me Felicity? The father of your baby?"

The second the words were out of his mouth regarding the vulnerable life that hadn't made it, Felicity fell back upon the mask she had worn for so long in high school and college before Cooper had supposedly 'killed himself'. The younger part of her, that had decked herself out in dark clothing in order to provide herself with a sense of her own mask to protect herself from everything that dared to harm her, clouded around in her mind providing her with that old mask she once had worn all too easily.

"What baby?" as she replied, Palmer began frowning.

"Don't fuck around with me Felicity, the baby you told me you're pregnant with"

"Thanks for the reminder Ray, I'd forgotten the night we messed around with one another" knowing the team was smirking, knowing exactly what she was doing, Felicity hardly gave a glance round to the rest of the table, even Oliver.

"_Bullshit_, we weren't messing around with each other. It was a night full of passion and love"

"…passion and _love_? Either I wasn't at the right place or you were on something, because it was the furthest thing from…_that_ as you can possibly get" Felicity snipped, taking a swig of her beer and trying to not burst out laughing at the expression on his face to her statement.

"You're wrong and you know it! Besides, why are you drinking _beer_? You're pregnant for God sakes!"

"Well if you actually gave a shit and stuck around, or even cared enough to check up on me, you would've known that there is no baby anymore…I had a miscarriage"

"_What?_ How-How could…? How could you fail the baby like that? _My baby! _You were supposed to be a mother to it!"

…and just like that, she snapped.

How she managed it she will never know, maybe it's to do with the fact that she took a couple defence lessons with Diggle but in one swift move Felicity pushed to her feet and sent her right fist flying to Ray's face and cracked him in the chin, sending him flying with the force of the punch.

As her anger pumped through her bloodstream, she hardly even noticed Oliver bringing her behind him as the rest of the team sort of surrounded her like the protective vigilantes and team mates they were.

"You think Felicity intended any of it? If you were there like she said, then you would've known the trauma she suffered through with it" Roy growled from her side, his muscles tense against a potential attack.

"You bitch, you broke my nose!" he called out as he cradled his bloodied feature, crimson liquid splattered over the palm of his hand.

"I'll break something else if you don't get out of my sight right now" Felicity snarled from where she stood against Sara as she woman held her back from furthering the injuries Ray had already sustained.

_Still didn't stop her from smiling at the thought of her definitely breaking something else_.

Staggering overdramatically to his feet, Ray hardly had a second before Oliver's fist delivered a quick but meaningful jab to his nose.

"You wouldn't have deserved to be a father" just in that one statement, Oliver let go of all his anger revolving around that _Ray _was the father to Felicity's unborn child, something he would've died for. "_Now_ you nose is broken you pathetic excuse of a man" he bite back to the man sprawled out on the floor in _'agony'_.

"Hey! We don't condone fights in here, you'll have to take it outside!" a man from behind the bar shouted, drawing the team's eyes to the crowd circling round them, as said man brought Ray to his feet and pushed him towards the door.

"_I'm _the one that got hurt here! _They _broke my nose!" Ray cried out in frustration, his other hand not cradled against his nose flailing in the team's direction.

"From what I saw, they're not the problem. Now get your arse out of here before I call the cops" he imposed, crossing his bulky arms across his chest.

"This isn't fair!"

"What are you, five? Everyone with brain cells know you don't talk about the matter of lost lives, especially to a woman who suffered through it a couple months ago!"

Dispelling her anger in a huffed exhale, Felicity brought a minute smile towards the rest of the team before turning to Oliver, who still had his back to her but was tensed to the brim.

"Oliver" placing her hand on his shoulder, Oliver jolted back into reality, turning round to face her but she could see his anger splayed out across his face like a lighthouse.

"I should kill him just by bringing up the matter. He doesn't have the right to come over here and bring that back up in front of you. He thinks he would've made a good father to your baby…" that last part wasn't supposed to come out, Oliver thought as he saw realisation pass over her face at just why that pissed him off like it did.

Placing her hand on his arm, Felicity smiled up at him in that way that always seemed to not only make his heart swoon but for his anger to seemingly just…melt away.

With the entire team deciding to call it a night, Felicity slipped away to give her gratitude to the man behind the bar who had defended her before joining the team as they all disappeared their own ways, but not without hugging Felicity goodnight.

"Oliver?"

"Come on, I parked my car just round the corner from here" snatching up Felicity's car keys from her purse and tossing them over to Roy, who seemed more than happy to take the ride off her hands for the time being, Oliver's hand came to rest in the dip of her back as he guided her over to his car.

* * *

Freezing slightly when he felt her warm lips against the skin of his cheek, Oliver peered down at her cuddled up to his chest as they stumbled into Felicity's home.

"I know for a fact that you would've made a remarkable father, their first hero" as her whisper reached him, Oliver's eyes slammed shut, relaxing into her even more as the images of a little figure of a child gathered in his arms teased him. "Ray wouldn't have stood a chance against you"

Getting his feet back to the ground once more as he once more anchored himself to reality, Oliver ensured that Felicity was tucked in within the safety of her bed, as comfortable as she could possibly be, before turning to leave but a hand tugging at his sleeve stopped him in his tracks.

"Stay" and with that sole word, Oliver made himself at home with Felicity curled up to his chest.

As Felicity's breathing evened out, signalling her now sleeping state, Oliver's mind began filling with images that made his heart flutter with joy at the thought of but mostly centring round the image of Felicity with a baby in her arms that was half him.

* * *

Who knew that in a few months, his dream would not only become a reality but complete heaven as the sound of duel heartbeats sang in harmony along with their mother's, their father standing guard over them and the rest of their family watching in tearful happiness.

Looks like the team was gaining their new members after all.


	93. Unexpected Surprises

**Wow, so it's been a long time since I last updated this, so my apologises on that. I'll try to give you guys something new as soon as I can.  
**

**Please tell me your thoughts by leaving a review. **

**Thanks and enjoy x**

When he initially decided that he was going to be taking some time off from everything that had been his life, for bordering three years, and craving for Felicity to be by his side as he finally allows himself to just _be himself _with her, something he's desired for longer than he can remember, what he's now come to know about his partner is something he'd never thought to be true.

Felicity Smoak, in general, is a person who Oliver has never had the chance of knowing before. There are so many different unique and individual components that make up who she is and her way of living that Oliver's never truly thought about or had the slightly indication of thinking.

During that first year of her joining him and Diggle, Oliver thought her to be a pretty remarkable person who wanted to do good in the world and stood up to what she believed to be wrong and wasn't afraid to show her voice to anyone, that he discovered when she stood up to him when she locked him in the foundry after finding out one of his targets had a young son who didn't deserve to be dragged into what his father had gotten into.

Always perceiving her to be that sort of person who lives her days as they came and acted as she saw fit, even if they led her straight into the eye of the storm or death's door, who also housed a love of a certain genre of movies that left her either on the edge of her seat, the adrenaline as the storyline twists and turns in unexpected manors sometimes without reason, or hiding behind a cushion, the fear that circulated her during horror movies.

As time passed and the three of them began working closer and became the real 'Original Team Arrow', Oliver's view on Felicity hardly wavered as she proved herself in ways he never expected, his little nickname for her of 'Flicka' (Thea had forced him to watch that horse film but the term stayed with him as he thought of someone else 'Small but Mighty' that he knew) didn't really leave his thoughts.

However, as they ventured into these few weeks that they've been spending together as a couple_, finally_, Oliver has learnt something else that he didn't quite expect to learn about his girlfriend.

In several places they've ended up in the same way, inside their motel room for the night as a storm rages on outside, rain dancing against the window pane of their bedroom window, blocking their view of the sights. Well, in times like these the two of them simply put on the several movies that Felicity someone managed to get her hands on, then cuddle up in bed, practically wrapping themselves around each other as the movie played out.

It actually turns out that during horror movies, where Oliver had previously believed she simply hides behind a cushion whilst watching the film, Felicity almost forgets that Oliver's right there beside her as she sits forward with her eyes locked on the screen until he interlocks their fingers again because she keeps jumping as a different scene startles her calm state.

_How can I be scared of a horror movie with what I go up against every day with the life they lead back in Starling City- Star City? Especially when I know for a fact that I've got a very dangerous and extremely protective vigilante-boyfriend with me that will protect me if anything happens? _She had told him one night after watching 'Mama' together, they ignored the rest of the movie as their interest focused on one another rather than the TV screen as they ducked beneath the covers.

No matter how many times he witnesses it, Oliver still smiles like a sap whenever it occurs like it's the first time all over again. It's mostly films like 'Hachi' where it '_pulls on your heartstrings so much it's like it's trying to kill you with the emotions, leaving you waiting for the bitch of reality to sink in and anchor you back down again'_ that makes that smile appear on his face once more as Felicity cries with the storyline as Hachi waits until his last breath for his best friend and master. Whenever they watch emotional movies that make you burst into tears, Felicity always curls herself into him so the side of her face in hiding in his shoulder as she drapes half of her body over his.

So summarising everything, it actually turns out that what he initially thought about Felicity is the other way around, where most would hide behind someone or something during a horror movie Felicity instead is waiting for that scene that makes the person jump, sort of like craving it as though it's an adrenaline rush. Then where most would simply just sit back and cry at the storyline, Felicity hides behind mostly him as the tears fall. It never fails to make him smile at just how remarkable she is and Oliver absolutely, 100% does not use that fact to his advantage and puts on an emotional movie whenever he feels like he just needs to embrace her for hours on end.

It just adds the ongoing list of things he loves about Felicity, but the one that will never change is just how much she believe in him even when he doesn't himself.


End file.

Arrow, Hurt-Comfort, Romance