Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The Christmas party was still in full swing in the accounting department. Felicity crossed the room, stopping briefly here and there to say hello to a few people, and ignoring the knowing looks sent her way when she reached her target.

Oliver was talking with Isabel, looking like he had just swallowed a lemon.

Smiling inwardly, Felicity discreetly put her hand on his arm, attracting his attention. He turned, and the sour look became a genuine smile.

“Felicity!” he said with a little too much enthusiasm.

“I found the information you needed,” she told him with a pointed look and he understood.

Arrow business.

“Great! That's great. Let's go back upstairs then.”

“Come on , Oliver, it's Friday afternoon,” Isabel intervened with one of her devious smiles. “Can't you give the girl a break? The fact that she's barely competent at her job doesn't mean you have to treat her like your personal slave.”

Felicity felt Oliver tense beside her. “Miss Smoak is extremely competent at everything I need her to do,” he answered, and Felicity cringed at seeing Isabel's barely hidden victorious smirk.

He had walked right into that one.

“Of course she is. Everyone at Queen Consolidated is well aware of that.”

“Excuse me, but I'm standing right here. What is this about?”Felicity asked, tired of being ignored.

“Nothing,” Oliver started, but Isabel interrupted him. “What, you mean you didn't tell her?”

“Tell me what?” Felicity asked between her teeth, anger rising.

Isabel gave her a saccharine smile. “Well I'm sure you'll find out soon enough now. Cute dress, by the way.”

Only Isabel could make that simple comment sound like an insult. Not that Felicity really cared. Next to the woman,'s exotic, flawless beauty she looked awkward and she knew it.

After Isabel's departure, she turned to Oliver, who was looking anywhere but at her.

“Is this what I think it is?” she asked with a sigh.

He nodded, making that little move with his mouth that she generally found cute – but not this time.

“My old IT office, in 15 minutes” she told him before turning on her heels and leaving him alone to face the curious stares.

He wondered if putting an arrow through Isabel's lovely neck would be very much frowned upon.

***********************************************************************************************

“Feeling nostalgic ?”

He walked into her old office. Everyone in the IT department had left or was a the party, and the place was quiet and dark, except for the blinking lights on the wall.

She was sitting on her former desk, fidgeting with something and he came to sit next to her. She shrugged.

“No. I come here sometimes when I need to calm down. It reminds me of the time when my life was normal and boring.”

“So no regrets?” he asked, and was that a hint of hope in his voice?

“Nope. But enough stalling. What was Isabel implying exactly?”

He sighed, crossing his arms on his chest. No need to sugarcoat it.

“That everyone at Queen Consolidated think we are sleeping together.”

She tilted her head. “Huh.”

He narrowed his eyes at her. “You don't look surprised.”

“Well, that explains the few 'gold-digger' comments and the condescending looks I got sometimes when I travel between floors. So no, I'm not surprised, but really, everyone? That's a huge company. How many people work here exactly?”
He smiled. “A lot.”

“Right.”

He uncrossed his arms, putting his hands on the desk. “I'm sorry I didn't mention it earlier,” he told her with an apologetic look. “That was during our trip to Russia, and well...”

“It stayed in Russia?” she finished with a mischievous grin.

He chuckled, relieved that she was joking and apparently not that mad about it.

“Why was Isabel so venomous, by the way? Did Santa forget her?Not that she deserves to get anything anyway.”

Oliver let out a little embarrassed laugh. “She...she made another pass at me and I turned her down.”

Felicity processed that information, repressing the squeal that was about to escape her throat.

“Good for you,” she just told him with a knowing smile.

He noticed a few tiny green leaves on the floor at her feet and motioned to her hands.

“Why are you dismembering that thing?”

She lowered her eyes. “I don't know, it was on the desk and I picked it up, I don't...Oh.”

She stood up suddenly, and met his interrogative gaze. “It's mistletoe,” she explained before throwing it back on the desk like it was highly toxic.

Oliver gave her an amused look.

“Well, so much for *that* tradition” he muttered and she blushed, realizing that by standing up she was now kind of invading his personal space. Not that he seemed to mind with the way he was looking at her, and the little Cheshire cat grin.

“Well it would be inappropriate...even though everybody think we're doing it anyway.”

He raised his arm, the tip of his fingers brushing her waist, making her shiver from head to toes. And he had barely touched her!

“Well, you know what they say. If you're going to do the time...”

“You might as well do the crime,” she finished in a low voice, her throat suddenly very dry.

The minute after, she was in his arms. Oliver drew her into the space between his legs so he could hold her against his chest. The kiss was slow at first, then more deep, as they took the time to explore each other's mouth. Her fingers curled at the nape of his neck and she let out a breathy moan, while his hands roamed her back, before coming to rest on her backside, squeezing it. The intimacy of that gesture abruptly brought them back to reality.

She took two steps back and they exchanged a confused look, both panting heavily.

“Wow. What was that?”

“I...have no idea,” he answered, short of breath. “I guess...we needed to get this out of our system?”

“Did we?”

“What?”

“Get it out of our system.”

He closed his eyes, let out a small sigh. “No.”

She started to pace, her hands on her waist. She was still high from the kiss, but it had come out of nowhere and it freaked her out.

“Because I distinctly remember you telling me a short while ago that you didn't want...”

“I know,” he interrupted her, remembering all too well. “I know what I said. It's still true.”

She nodded, trying to hide her disappointment.

“Felicity...there are very few important people in my life, but you are one of them. I wish I had the strength to send you away and back to a tranquil, safe life, but I can't. I need you beside me and I'm not only talking about your computer skills. Any...deeper involvement would only complicate things, but mostly it would be the the kind of attention that I don't want focused on you, for your own safety.”

She came back to sit next to him on the desk, but at a safe distance.

Her heart screamed in frustration, but her head knew he was right. They had priorities, a mission to accomplish, and any distraction would be an unnecessary weakness, especially for him. And their friendship was extremely important to her – and she knew it was to him too. Risking it for what could turn out to be nothing more than a pure sexual attraction was not worth it.

*You keep telling yourself that, Felicity, and maybe someday you'll start believing it.*

“I agree”, she finally said, and for a brief instant she thought she saw her own disappointment reflected in his eyes. But it vanished so quickly that she probably had imagined it.

She looked at him with a raw honesty. “But we can't do this again. Because my heart won't be able to handle it.”

“Neither will mine,” he answered softly and their eyes met, both of them painfully aware that it would be easier said than done.

“We just respected a very old tradition,” he offered lightly and she smiled, although it was slightly tinted with sadness.

“Nothing wrong with that,” she agreed. “Merry Christmas, Oliver.”

He took her hand, squeezing it. “Happy Hanukkah, Felicity.”

*Denial was not just a river in Egypt.*

Chapter Text

New Year’s eve kiss or not ?

That was the deeply philosophical thought that had occupied Felicity’s mind since she had arrived at Verdant.

The place was packed, but Oliver had reserved one of the VIP section for them – Diggle, Lyla and Thea, whenever she had 5 minutes to stop by.

Felicity was happy that things had not been awkward after their impromptu kiss one week ago. If anything, it had brought them closer. It was in the way their eyes met and they smiled for no particular reason, or the little touches here and there, which now felt natural and comfortable. Not that she did want to spend her time giving him moon eyes. He had been very clear about his ‘no relationship’ status and the reasonable part of her brain completely agreed with that.

Hence, the New Year’s eve kiss. As much as she would love to reiterate the experience, she also didn’t want to be painfully reminded of what she couldn’t have.

She went to get a drink at the bar and was approached by a guy her age. His name was Trevor and they started to chat amicably. He had come with a bunch of friends but had lost them somewhere in the crowd. It turned out they had a lot in common and when she finished her drink he offered her another.

“Felicity…everything ok?”

She turned to see Oliver standing beside her, looking sharp and handsome in his suit. His hand came to rest on Felicity’s shoulder, and he gave both of them a courteous smile – but she knew him well so she detected the slight caution in his voice when he looked at Trevor. She made the introductions and they exchanged a few pleasantries.

“I’m around if you need me,” Oliver told her casually before leaving.

Very smooth, Oliver, she thought with a smile.

*********************

“Roy?”

The young man put his plate full of glasses on the nearest table and faced his girlfriend's brother.

“Yes?”

“You know Felicity ?”

“Your pretty assistant, yes, she's over there.”

“Right. I know you're pretty busy, but could you do me a favor and keep an eye on her? That guy she's with...I don't know, something's off about him.”

Roy observed the other man for a minute. “I've seen him a few times before. Always with a different girl. You see the type.”

“Yeah, I do,” Oliver muttered, narrowing his eyes at the duo. He knew exactly the type. That was him, a few years ago.

He patted the young man shoulder. “Let me know if you see anything, ok?” he asked before walking away. His first instinct was to take her away, but she would be really pissed if he intruded like that, and besides he trusted her judgment.

Still, it wouldn't hurt if he stayed in the vicinity just for a little while.

******************

It was very hot all of a sudden. Of course there were a lot of people around them, which definitely raised the inside temperature, but it didn’t explain how uncomfortable she felt. And also a bit dizzy.

“Are you all right?” Trevor asked her and she squinted, because he looked a bit blurry.

“I don’t…the room seems to be spinning,” Felicity said, taking a deep breath, but it had no effect whatsoever.

“Here, drink some more, I’m sure it will help,” Trevor told her with a reassuring smile.

She looked at her drink, a nagging suspicion rising in her mind. But she really had trouble forming a coherent thought, which scared her. She closed her eyes, trying to get rid of the fog that seemed to have invaded her brain. One familiar image suddenly appeared and she said,

“I need Oliver”.

Something wrong was going on, but she couldn’t for the life of her figure out what it was. Her head was heavy, and she felt herself slipping.

“I think I’ve seen him near the entrance. I’ll come with you,” Trevor offered, helping her get off of the bar stool. A little voice in her head was yelling at her to stop following him, but the connectivity between her brain and motor functions were obviously severed as she kept walking. Maybe Oliver was really at the entrance and he would take care of her and everything would be fine.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Trevor, who was now almost carrying her, turned around rather abruptly and she almost fell.

Roy was standing in front of them, arms crossed, a stern look on his face. Trevor gave him an innocent smile.

“She doesn’t feel well. I was going to bring her back home.”

“Yeah, that’s not going to happen.” Roy advanced slightly, his stance threatening.

“What, you’re her boyfriend or something?”

“No. I’m a friend. And I’m pretty sure she doesn’t want to leave with you.”

Trevor pressed his lips together,then opened his mouth as if he was going to argue. Suddenly he threw Felicity’s almost dead weight at Roy and ran to the exit.

Roy caught the young woman with one arm and pressed the little comm on his shirt with the other one.

“Guy with a black suit and blue tie, coming your way. Catch him and bring him back.”

Five seconds later Oliver appeared. His eyes grew wide with alarm when he saw Felicity obviously passed out in Roy’s arms.

“What the hell happened?” he growled.

“The guy tried to leave with her. I caught them just in time. I’m pretty sure he drugged her.”

A dangerous light appeared in Oliver’s eyes and his face was a mask of barely repressed rage. But his hand on her cheek remained soft and tender.

“Felicity?”

She raised her eyes, recognizing the familiar blue eyes. “Oliver? I don’t feel so good…” and it seemed to take too much of an effort as her head fell back on Roy’s shoulder.

The bouncer came back at that moment, dragging Trevor with him. In two strides Oliver was on him, gripping him by the throat.

“What did you give her?”he asked, his voice lethal.

Trevor didn’t even try to put a fight. “It’s a new drug, like rohypnol, but different. It lowers the inhibitions, so they participate willingly. It’s not rape!” he tried to stupidly defend himself.

“If you have to drug her then it is rape, you bastard,” Roy yelled at him.

Oliver didn’t say a word, but the pressure of his fingers increased exponentially around the man’s throat.

A slight whimper came from behind and he turned his head, his eyes softening upon landing on Felicity. He released Trevor and pushed him towards the bouncer.

“Call the police, please. Tell them miss Smoak will come tomorrow to press charges. And get him out of my face before I kill him.”

He went back to Roy, and putting an arm around her shoulders and another under her knees, he delicately raised Felicity in his arms.

“Could you find Diggle and ask him to meet me in my office?”

“Of course,” the young man nodded, and after a last concerned look at Felicity, walked away.

“Roy?”

He turned around.

“Thank you,” Oliver said, and there was a lot of meaning behind those words that Roy understood perfectly.

*********************

By the time they were down in the foundry, Felicity was coming out of her drug induced stupor.

“What’s going on?” she asked, a bit bewildered.

Oliver put her down on the couch, kneeling in front of her. “Felicity, listen to me. You’ve been drugged. Do you understand?”

She nodded with a smile, and he knew that she wasn’t getting a word of what he was saying. Furthermore, her hands, which had been resting on his shoulders, were now sliding on his chest in a decidedly non platonic way.

“Oliver,” she sighed, and the husky quality of her voice derailed his focus for a moment. Her hands were now tugging his shirt out of his pants and her nails were grazing at his abdomen.

He caught her wrist, trying very hard not to lose control.

“Felicity, please look at me.”

She was giggling now and trying to invade his personal space, her mouth getting dangerously close to his. Steeling his resolve, he pushed her back on the couch.

“Felicity!”

The desperation and urgency in his voice seemed to attract her attention and her eyes met his. “I love it when you say my name,” she whispered like she was telling him her deepest secret.

“You are under the influence of a drug,” he repeated, even if he started to feel that it was useless. As long as she was in that state, he wouldn’t be able to reach her.

Her mouth was suddenly on his jaw and he closed his eyes, having a flashback of what that mouth tasted like from one week ago. His mind and body were betraying him at the worst possible moment, and it took all his willpower to raise on his feet and take two steps back, ignoring her protesting moans.

As if on cue, he heard Diggle come down the stairs. Perfect timing.

“Roy told me what happened. How is she?”

Concern grew on his face when he saw Felicity whimpering on the couch, and Oliver’s disheveled state.

“The guy used some sort of date rape drug, but a different kind. Right now she’s mostly…horny,” he finished with a painful look on his face.

Diggle looked from Felicity, who was eyeing Oliver as if he was a juicy piece of meat, to Oliver, who was obviously a bit lost at how to deal with Felicity in that very unusual state. Especially since he knew that his friend was far from indifferent to his pretty assistant/tech girl/friend.

“Maybe I should stay with her,” Diggle offered calmly.

“No!” Oliver exclaimed, before clearing his throat. “I mean, it’s not necessary. I’ll stay with her. Besides, it happened in my club, so I’m responsible.”

Diggle gave him a knowing look and he could swear that Oliver blushed slightly.

“I’m not leaving her, Digg,” he simply replied.

“Ok, but you need to do something, like give her a mild sedative, to help her sleep through it.”

Oliver winced. “More drugs?”

“It’s that or having her trying to jump you every 5 minutes.”

Diggle could distinctively hear Oliver swallow before he said. “Right. Obviously, we don’t want that.” Then a thought crossed his mind. “The herbs!”

He walked to his chest, retrieving a small plastic bag. A few minutes later Diggle was making Felicity drink it. Both men noticed that her lack of inhibition didn’t seem to be directed at Diggle. Her eyes remained focused on Oliver the whole time, and she kept sending him heated looks.

She will be so mortified when she remembers all of this, he thought, hoping it wasn’t going to create a rift between them. Thanks to their mutual honesty of the previous week, they had grown definitely closer. And deep inside, Oliver had to admit that whether it was emotionally or professionally, he could barely function without her.

The thought, amazingly, didn’t scare him as it should have.

Diggle put the glass on the table before helping Felicity to lie down on the couch. She didn’t protest, as the herbs seemed to take effect rather quickly.

“I’ll be upstairs if you need me,” he told Oliver with a comforting tap on his arm.

“Thank you.”’

Oliver turned off the main lights before coming back to the couch. Felicity was now sleeping peacefully. He gently raised her legs and sat on the couch, putting them back on his lap before resting his head on the back and closing his eyes.
A clamor erupting from upstairs let him know that they had struck midnight, and a quick look at his watch confirmed it. His hand rested on Felicity’s calf, caressing it lightly, and he fell asleep to the soothing rhythm of her breathing.

********************

Felicity opened her eyes, looking around, wondering why her head was pounding and her throat was completely dry.

What the hell had she done last night?

She didn't remember drinking, yet she felt like she had a hangover. And she certainly didn't remember falling asleep on the couch in the foundry, her legs on Oliver's lap.

Something was very wrong here.

She didn't have the time to ponder any longer on her situation as a wave of nausea suddenly hit her. She practically jumped out of the couch before running to the bathroom.

Oliver followed her by a few seconds, kneeling beside her and holding her hair while she emptied her stomach.

Once done, she sat down on the cool tiles, grabbing some paper towels. Oliver put his hand on her cheek, concern written all over his face.

“Are you ok?”

She nodded. “What happened?” she asked, her voice hoarse.

“That guy, Trevor. He roofied you.”

It took a few seconds for her foggy brain to process the information. “Oh. Really? He didn't seem that type.”

“They never do. Roy stopped him before he could...do any damage.”

“Ok, good. I'll have to thank him.”

She pressed her palms on her forehead, trying to shake off the confusion she was still feeling. “I need to brush my teeth,” she said, and Oliver helped her get up. He left for a moment before coming back with some ibuprofen and a glass of water. With a look
of gratitude, she took it and drank it in one gulp.

Oliver's hand slipped up her arm, bringing her closer. “I'll drive you home,” he told her gently, but the idea of being in a car in motion really didn't seem appealing to her queasy stomach right now. As a matter of facts, any kind of motion was better avoided at all cost.

“I'd rather not move too much right now,” she admitted. “I'll just stay on the couch for a few more hours.”

“Ok.”

And he swept her off her feet, smiling at her little squeal.

“I can walk,” she protested weakly.

“Humor me.”

She definitely didn't feel good enough to start an argument, even when Oliver sat back on the couch, keeping her in his lap, one arm firmly secured around her waist and the other resting on her thigh. She buried her face against his throat, savoring the feel of his arms around her and the soothing sound of his breathing.

“What happened to him?” she asked.

She felt Oliver's hand tense slightly on her thigh as he answered, “Vince, the bouncer, called the police, and I guess he's in custody right now. I asked him to told them that you would come tomorrow to press charges.”

She raised her head, meeting his eyes, recognizing the dangerous light she saw in it.

“Don't kill him,Oliver,” she said softly. “He's not worth it.”

“I know,” he replied succinctly, and the thing was he didn't want to kill him. No, what he really wanted was to dismember the guy in the slowest, most painful way possible.

He chased the thought away, because right now Felicity needed to rest and relax, and she wouldn't be able to do that if himself was more strung than his own bow. So he took a deep breath, and the hand that was on her thigh went to rest on her arm, his fingers grazing her skin caressingly.

Oliver was aware that their position was extremely intimate, considering their relationship and what had happened between them recently. But he couldn't bring himself to care right now. Felicity needed him, and it was all that mattered.

He thought she had fallen back to sleep when she muttered, “What time is it?”

He checked his clock. “4.36 am.”

She pouted. “I missed the countdown. Then again, I had been wondering all evening if I was going to kiss you for New Year,” she added candidly, and his mouth twitched in amusement. She might still slightly be under the influence of the drug, or it was just her brain-to-mouth filter not working properly, as usual.

He knew it was dangerous territory but couldn't help but ask. “Why wouldn't you want to be kissed on New Year's eve?”

She shrugged. “Its not that I didn't want to...It's just that we agreed...you know.”

He chuckled slightly, wondering if she realized how their current position was in violent contradiction to what they had indeed agreed recently.

He felt a wave of tenderness rush through him, the kind that he generally tried to quell faster than he could blink, but not this time. He let it engulf him, grateful to have this amazing woman in his life.

“I would have come find you anyway,” he told her, his voice low and smooth. “It's tradition, after all.”

She looked at him, her mouth quirking with humor. “Right. Because tradition is important.”

“Exactly. And it's not to late, you know. You can still have it.”

Amusement was quickly replaced by shock in her luminous blue eyes. She stared at him, momentarily speechless, before uttering the first thing that came to her mind.

“Seriously? Because I just puked my guts out.”

He shrugged. “Not really. Your stomach was empty, so it was mostly bile. And you brushed your teeth.”

She was still looking at him with incredulity before a slow grin appeared on her face. “Why, mister Queen, you say the most romantic things,” she replied while fluttering her eyelashes.

He couldn't help but laugh with her before their eyes met again and she felt her pulse quicken at the intense longing she read in his.

She reached up her hand and laid her palm against his cheek, urging him to move closer. He pressed his lips to hers, holding her tightly against him, reveling in the feel of her mouth against his. Her lips parted, and he permitted himself one sweet moment of
temptation as his tongue met hers and her soft moan reverberated through him.

They were both breathless by the time one of them found the strength to pull away. Oliver rested his forehead against her, reluctant to break the intimate moment, even if it was the reasonable thing to do. But Felicity's flushed cheeks and dreamy gaze weren't helping at all.

She settled back comfortably against him, basking in the confidence of being safe in his arms. She didn't remember everything, and she wasn't sure she wanted to, considering she had obviously dodged a pretty horrifying situation tonight, but right now she didn't want to think about it.

“Oliver?”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you for taking care of me.”

He smiled, pressing a soft kiss on her head.

“Always.”

Chapter Text

The crash reverberated throughout the whole office when Felicity's coffee mug hit the ground.

“What?”

“Oliver's been shot.”

When she started laughing, Diggle knew that she hadn't processed anything he had just told her.

“No he hasn't been shot. He just went to the bank,” she said matter-of-factly, then suddenly realized that she had coffee all over her shoes. “Oh crap.”

Diggle grabbed her shoulder, trying to get her attention.

“There was a robbery at the bank. It's still unclear how but Oliver's been shot. It's bad, Felicity,” he told her, his tone urgent.

She blinked twice, before all color drained from her face. “How bad?”

Diggle sighed. “I don't know. It was in the chest.”

“Oh God,” she whimpered, bringing her hand to her mouth.

Every night that Oliver hooded up and left, she always wondered if she would see him again. It was part of their job and she had learned to live with it. But this...this was the middle of the day, and it was just a stupid trip to the bank.

“He's been taken to Starling Memorial. I came here first to get you.”

“Right. Ok. I'll get my purse.”

She returned to her desk and stopped, confused. What was she...?

“Felicity...”

Right. Oliver. The Hospital. Her purse.

“Yes. I'm here. I'm ok. We can go.”

Do not freak out, she kept repeating internally.

Once at the hospital, they went directly to the ICU, where they found Moira Queen with Thea and Roy. Oliver's mother barely greeted her but Felicity didn't take offense. She was worried about her son and the two woman barely knew each other. She was maybe even wondering what Oliver's assistant was doing there.

Felicity sat with Diggle, trying not to count the seconds, wondering if it was a good or a bad thing that he stayed son long in the O.R.

At some point she looked at her watch and realized that it had only been an hour. It was barely 10.30 am. Her stomach growled and she remembered that she didn't have breakfast and her only cup of coffee had finished on her office's floor.

“I'll go get something,” John said, rising from his chair and walking to Moira, Thea and Roy, asking if they wanted anything. He came back a few minutes later with a cup of coffee and a muffin for Felicity, which she accepted gratefully.

It was almost 11.30 when the doctor appeared, a reassuring smile on his face. The Queens almost ran to him, while Felicity and Diggle stayed behind.

“We were able to retrieve the bullet without any further damage. It was very close to the lung, which complicated things a bit, but he's stable now, and he will recover. They'll bring him back here in a short while.”

There was a collective breath of relief and Felicity turned to Diggle. “Thank God. He really scared me there for a minute,” she said, proud of the fact that her voice was barely trembling.

“Just for a minute?” Diggle asked, smiling for the first time since early this morning. She blinked, feeling tears swell behind her eyelids, and Diggle engulfed her in a strong hug, giving her time to regroup.

“I'm going to go back to the office,” she told him once he let her go. “I need to reschedule today's meetings, and for the next few days as well, and tell Isabel, and...”

“Felicity. You're going to be fine.” He gave her an encouraging smile and she nodded.

“Come on. I'll drive you back to QC and I'll come back here. I'll keep you updated, ok? I'll meet you at the entrance in a few minutes.”

She put her coat back on and wanted to say goodbye to Thea and Moira but they were nowhere to be seen. Only Roy was there.

“Hey,” she greeted him with a smile. “I never got the opportunity to thank you for what you did on New Year's eve.”

The young man smiled back. “No problem. I'm glad I could catch that creep on time.”

“I need to go back to the office. Could you please say bye to Oliver's mom and sister for me?”

“Of course...Felicity, right?”

“Yes. Thank you, Roy.”

She gave him a friendly squeeze on the arm before running back to the entrance where Diggle was waiting for her.

“If you want I'll let you know when he's awake if you wish to come back and see him,” he offered once the car was back in the busy midday traffic.

She smiled. “Yes, thank you. Let me know when he's awake, but there's going to be many things to do at QC so I probably won't be able to come back today. And I need to be at the lair tonight to check on some things.”

Diggle gave her a knowing look. “Ok, but don't strain yourself. And you can come and see him at least once. People won't find it bizarre if you check up on him after what happened,” he said with an understanding look.

She let out a humorless laugh. “I know, but to the eye of the outside world, I'm just his assistant. Even his mom and sister don't really know we are actually friends. Ok, that's how he introduced me when we met at Walter's bedside, but that was months ago. Besides, I don't want to add any fuel to the rumor's mill at QC. Spending my time at Oliver's bedside would only make things worse.”

Diggle frowned. “Is it still that bad?”

She shrugged. “I don't know. I try to ignore it. But Isabel never misses a chance to imply it though.”

Diggle's jaw tightened slightly. “Does Oliver know?”

“Yes. Most of the time he's the one on the receiving end of her nastiness. He replies in kind, but there's no need to antagonize her any further.”

“But it's something that is bothering you,” he observed.

“Yes and no. I mean, I worked very hard to get where I am, so yes, it pisses me off that people automatically assume that it was all due to sleeping with the boss. Because really, how more cliche do you get? But I know it's not what happened, and I think of all the good stuff the three of us accomplish every night, and all that crap doesn't seem so important after all.”

He reached for her hand and squeezed it. “Well you know that whenever you feel like this you can come and find me. We can have a training session and I'll let you beat me up.”

She giggled. “I could never do that, but thinks for the offer.”

“Ok, just a nice talk then,” he said, his eyes gentle and understanding, and she squeezed his hand back.

A few minutes later he dropped her off at QC, promising to call her as son as Oliver woke up.

*************

When asked about the 3 days that followed, Felicity could honestly say that she didn't remember half of it.

She had dived body and soul in her jobs – the official one and the secret one – to keep her mind off of Oliver and the fact that he was lying in an hospital bed and that technically she had no right to spend her days at his bedside, even if she was dying to see him.

But she couldn't have done it anyway. Even if the company could survive some time without the physical presence of its CEO, there was still a lot of things to do. She had managed to reschedule all the important meetings except one, because she had worked with Oliver on it and felt confident she could pull it off. She had met these people a few times before and Oliver had spend some time explaining the ropes to her.

She had also conveniently forgot to tell Isabel that she didn't cancel it. There would probably be hell to pay afterward, but Felicity didn't care. Because contrary to what Isabel always claimed, Felicity was good at her job. No, scratch that. She was great.

She had gone to see Oliver that afternoon but unfortunately he was not alone so she hadn't stayed. A bit frustrated, she had gone to Verdant to work a little bit on their latest case.

Diggle found her there around 9pm, busy cleaning the arrows one by one with a cloth.

He raised an eyebrow. “Seriously?”

“What?” she replied defensively. “They were dusty.”

“Go home, Felicity.”

She flinched at the military, no nonsense tone of his voice. He rarely used it with her.

“I will, as soon as I'm finished with this.”

Diggle put his hand on her shoulder, pressuring her softly so she would turn to him.

“Come on,” he said in a gentle, yet uncompromising voice. She sighed, putting the arrow back on the shelf

“I went to see him today but his mom was there, and then some friends came and I had no real excuse to stay, so...” she closed her eyes, feeling utterly miserable.

She had come to realize that her position in Olive's life was clearly ill-defined. She was his executive assistant, but that was just a job title and one that she didn't even particularly wanted in the first place, even if she had managed to pull it out. She was also helping him with his mission, something she was really proud of even if once again she had no definitive idea of how necessary she really was – after all Oliver had started this all alone and him and Diggle had managed perfectly well without her for some time. And then he had introduced her as his friend, but that was to his mom and sister. To the rest of the world, that friendship didn't exist. And to make matters a bit more complicated they had exchanged a few kisses, effectively blurring the lines of where exactly their relationship stood.

She felt a headache creeping up her neck. “You're right, it's late. And it will be another long day tomorrow, it's just...I don't feel like being alone right now.”

Diggle smiled, putting a caressing hand on her hair. “Come on. You can crash at my place.”

She gave him a grateful smile and a quick hug before gathering her things.

***********

She was almost asleep when her phone vibrated. It was Oliver.

“Hey.”

“Hey. Did I wake you up?”

His voice was low and raspy and she closed her eyes, feeling the anxiety of the last few days alleviate upon hearing him.

He's alive. He's OK.

“No. How are you?” She spoke quietly to avoid disturbing Diggle in the next room.

“Better. And they are pumping me with the good stuff, so I don't feel much.”

She smiled in the dark. “All that forced medication and lying around doing nothing must drive you crazy.”

“You have no idea...or actually yes, you probably do.” She stifled a giggle before he added, “Why didn't you stay earlier?”

“Because you had visitors, and I didn't want to intrude.”

“You could never intrude,” he replied softly and she let out a silent breath. They needed to have a conversation, but she would keep that for later. She wanted to tell him how much she had missed him, but if he didn't say it first she wouldn't have the guts to do it. At least not before things were a little bit clearer between them.

“Are you at home?”

“No. I'm in Diggle's guest room.”

“You're both ok?” he asked, concern lacing his voice.

“Yes, it was just...We're fine, we just have been worried about you, that's all.”

There was a short silence before he asked, “Can you come over tomorrow?” and there was an inflexion in his tone that made her heart speed up. If he had missed her, that was probably the closest to an admission she would get. But is was definitely there.

“I will. Probably later though, after I'm done at the lair.”

“Good. I'll let you sleep. Good night Felicity.”

“Good night, Oliver.”

She hung up and fell asleep a few minutes later with a smile on her face.

*****************

She spent the next day looking at the clock, which was a bad idea since it seemed that the hands were stuck on the same hour every time she looked at it.

Her only interaction with him in the last 5 days had been the phone call last night, because her visit at the hospital didn't really count – they had barely exchanged two words. She needed to have some time alone with him, and she was aware that she shouldn't crave it so deeply, but she had learned recently that she was slowly but surely losing control of the feelings she had for Oliver.

She arrived a bit before 9pm, and one of the nurses told her that he had a visitor. Determined to get her own private time, she sat outside of his room, not wanting to interrupt.

She didn't have to wait very long. Barely five minutes later the door opened and Laurel came out.

Felicity froze. She admitted that she hadn't given a lot of thoughts to the young woman over the past few days, but it made sense that she would come to see Oliver. It was probably not the first time she had come either. Contrary to Felicity, Laurel and Oliver had history. They were friends, and everybody knew that.

For a minute Felicity had a fleeting thought, that Laurel was the legitimate one, and she was the other woman.

She chased the ridiculous idea when she saw Laurel walking towards her.

“Hi. You're Oliver...”

“Executive assistant.”

Laurel smiled. “Don't you also fix his computers?”

Felicity nodded. She had a knot in her stomach and she didn't even know why. “Yes. I was working at the IT department and I got promoted.”

“I see.”

Something in Laurel's voice rubbed Felicity the wrong way.

“No, I don't think you do.”

Laurel raised an eyebrow and Felicity realized that she had answered a bit harshly, and probably misinterpreted Laurel's words. But she felt stupidly intimidated by the other woman.

She smiled, softening the bite of her earlier comment. “He's my friend. I...I care about him.”

She wished that her voice didn't waver so much, but the tension of the past few days was finally catching up with her.

“I understand,” Laurel replied gently and Felicity knew that she did, indeed, understand. And why wouldn't she ? Laurel was kind, and caring, and she loved Oliver too. “I'm sure he'll be happy to see you,” she added while briefly touching Felicity's arm and the young blonde relaxed slightly. They exchanged a knowing smile before Laurel turned around and left.

********

The smile that appeared on Oliver's face when she walked into the room made her feel better.

“Hey. I thought you were going to be a no show.”

She dropped her coat and bag on a chair and came to sit on the bed at his side. She wanted to take his hand but she feared it would be a bit too familiar, so she settled for picking at the worn hospital sheet. Fortunately Oliver made the decision for her and grabbed her hand, keeping it firmly in his.

“You look tired,” he said and there was an evident worry in his voice, like he's not the one who got shot in the chest 5 days ago.

She smiled reassuringly. “Well, someone had to run the company while you were napping.”

He chuckled. “Diggle told me you are a better CEO than I am.”

She rolled her eyes. “I wouldn't go that far, but I tried my best to keep things afloat and keep Isabel from taking over. But it was not much, really.”

“Thank you,” he said with that little smile, the one she secretly thought was reserved strictly for her. Then she remembered that she had been very close to never seeing that smile ever again, and the fear and exhaustion that had been bubbling beneath the surface suddenly emerged. She burst into tears.

“Hey! What's going on?” he asked, a bit baffled by the unexpected flow of tears and she couldn't help but laugh at his confused look.

“What's going on? You mean beside you being shot and nearly dying?”

“Come here,” he extended his arm for her to join him on the bed.

“I don't want to hurt you,” she sniffled.

“I was shot on my left side, you're on my right. Come on.”

Felicity grabbed a Kleenex and took her shoes off, carefully settling herself on the bed. She put her head on his shoulder while his arm came to encircle her shoulders, keeping her firmly against him.

“I've just been really scared,” she admitted softly. “They told us that you flatlined twice.”

“Well, I'm a tough cookie,” he said and he brought her hand to his lips for a kiss.

“Do you remember what happened?”

He nodded. “I had just walked into the bank when those guys rushed in. They fired a few shots to scare people and one of the bullet ricocheted and hit me. Diggle told me that they released me pretty quickly as they had no intention of killing anyone at first. I think the whole thing threw them off and it didn't last long until they surrendered.”

She raised her head and looked at him, amusement plain on her face. “You mean to tell me that you actually kind of succeeded in aborting a robbery just by being shot and doing nothing?”

He grinned. “It's a gift.”

She shifted a bit, mindful of his injury, before lifting her upper body and setting her fingers against his lips, unable to look away from him. She smoothed her fingertips across his cheek before leaning in to press a gentle, innocent kiss on his lips.

“Is that some traditional holiday kiss I don't know about?” he asked in a slightly breathless voice and she had trouble focusing on his words.

“No. Just a get well soon kiss.”

His hand left her shoulder to come to rest on the nape of her neck.

“You'd better make sure that it worked then,” he whispered against her lips before capturing them again in a more intimate contact. Her insides liquefied as he deepened the kiss and for a moment they forgot about the hospital and the fact that they were not supposed to do this again.

Felicity briefly wondered if he realized that this 'just this once' thing initiated at Christmas was actually becoming a habit.

“I missed you,” he murmured softly, and that might just be the painkillers talking and making him a bit more sentimental that he normally (never) was, but Felicity didn't really care.

“I missed you too. I really wanted to come and see you more, but you know how it would have looked like. I'm no one after all. I mean, I'm not family, and I don't exactly gravitate in your circle of friends, and...”

He squeezed her shoulder gently and she stopped her rambling.

“I'm glad you're here now,” he told her in a drowsy voice. He definitely needed his sleep to recover, so it was time for her to go.

It wouldn't hurt if she stayed a few more minutes though, finding peace in the sound of his breathing and the rise of his chest under her hand.

She had thought he had fell asleep when his voice broke the silence.

“Oh, and Felicity? You're not no one.”

She raised her head again and met his eyes. Despite his tiredness and the medication, they were lucid.

“You're everything.”

Chapter Text

The last time Felicity had been in this room, it had been to confront Moira Queen about Thea's paternity.

So it was a bit ironic that she had now chosen that room on order to avoid the woman.

Not that she was hiding. She was just trying to avoid any awkward encounter. She didn't even want to be here in the first place, after all it was one of those campaign parties. She was just doing it for Oliver.

The reveal of Thea's real father had hit him hard, as well as the resulting destruction of his relationship with his mother. It was his decision, but he hated every minute of it. And of course having to pretend everything was normal with Thea – as if there wasn't enough lies in his life already.

"There you are."

She turned around and saw Roy walking toward her, looking fine in his suit although a bit uncomfortable. His next words confirmed it.

"I need to put back on my jeans and my hoodie and go patrol or something. All this formal stuff is not really my style," he said, tugging on his tie.

She smiled. Don't worry. It's not really mine either."

"Who are you hiding from?"

"No one," she lied. "Just needed a few minutes to myself."

"Oh. If you want I can just..." he said, motioning to the door but she stopped him.

"No, it's ok. I can be by myself with you."

He nodded, sitting on the armrest of the nearest chair. "Any lead on those museum robberies?"

She sighed. "Not yet. But we'll get them. I'm sure."

"Oliver said that with you and your computer mad skills the bad guys generally didn't stand a chance."

Felicity smiled. "Mad skills? I like it. But Diggle and him are the ones who catch them, so I can't take all the credit. It's a team effort, really."

Roy shrugged. "Well either way he told me they wouldn't get very far without you."

Felicity blushed, a bit surprised by Oliver's praises. She knew she was important to the team, he told her so himself, but still, it's always nice to hear, even through a third party.

"How's the training going?" she asked.

"Much better. Oliver has been more patient, and I've been less of a spoiled brat, so...it works out fine."

Felicity put her hand on his arm. "I'm glad to hear that. And I'm glad you are part of the team now."

He was about to thank her when Moira Queen walked into the room.

"Roy, I think Thea's looking for you."

"Ok, thanks Mrs Queen," he told her before winking at the young blonde, mouthing, 'Talk to you later'.

Felicity turned towards the window, hoping very hard that Moira would just leave.

No such luck.

"Really, Felicity, my son is not enough for you? You need my daughter's boyfriend too?"

The younger woman didn't even want to dignify this with an response, so she turned around to leave.

But Moira Queen was not so easily dismissed.

"Are you happy now that you destroyed my family?"

Felicity stopped dead in her tracks. Yes, she wanted to avoid the woman, but she couldn't let her say such awful things.

She faced Moira with a legitimate anger on her face.

"Happy? Are you kidding me? I gave you a chance to tell Oliver, but you ignored me. Worse, you threatened me. Which was useless, because the second, the second I discovered the truth I knew I would never been able to hide it from him. I just thought he might take it better coming from you...even though I'm not sure there's a better way to hear that kind of news, but never mind. You didn't do it. So I was the one who had to hurt him and let him know that his sister, who he loves dearly, is only his half-sister. So no, I'm not happy. I'm deeply saddened to have been involved in this and having to inflict that kind of pain on my friend."

She took a deep breath, her anger suddenly deflating and being replaced by sorrow. The moment when she had had to tell Oliver had been one of the worst moment of her life – and God knows that she had her fair share of those in her young life already.

Moira's lips tightened. If any of Felicity's word had reached her, she certainly wasn't going to let it apparent.

"Has Oliver any intention of letting Thea know?" she just asked, and Felicity could detect a hint of fear in the older woman's eyes, so she softened her voice when she answered.

"I don't know. I think he needs to process it and asked me to not say anything to anyone. It's not my place anyway."

"And you do everything my son tells you to do."

It wasn't even a question, just a disdainful statement.

"Well as I said we are friends. I'm sorry if this is concept is completely foreign to you."

Moira narrowed her eyes at her her and Felicity braced herself for the backlash. Ok, maybe she had been a little bit harsh on that one...

Salvation came in the form of Diggle who appeared at the door frame right at that moment.

"Mrs Queen, Mr Steele is asking for you," he told her with a pleasant smile, pretending not to notice the heavy atmosphere in the room.

With a last resentful look at Felicity, Moira left.

John walked in and closed the distance between them. "She gave you a hard time?" he asked, putting his arm around her shoulder and she smiled.

"Nothing that I can't handle," she reassured him. Was Walter really looking for her?"

"No."

She laughed slightly, feeling the tension finally leaving her body, and an unexpected tiredness replacing it.

Diggle knew of course. Neither Oliver or Felicity would have hide something like that from him.

"Everything alright?"

This time it was Oliver who came in and Felicity had to laugh. She had come here initially to get some peace and quiet but this room was more crowded than Starling central station.

He approached them and put a caressing hand on her arm, looking at her inquisitively.

Since they had randomly started kissing (and foolishly thought they could keep it casual) and especially after he had been shot, they had definitely become closer. And contrary to Moira's prediction, Felicity telling Oliver hadn't driven him away – if anything, it had just strengthened their bond even more. Felicity was in awe of the friendship, respect and loyalty they shared, and all this was obviously turning into something much deeper recently. Or maybe it was not so recent, it had just been there for a long time, waiting for the right moment to blossom.

Diggle knew when he was not needed, so after a small squeeze on Felicity's shoulder, he left.

"What happened?" Oliver asked softly.

She sighed. "Really Oliver, it's nothing. It doesn't matter."

His hands came to cup her cheeks. "If you're upset it does matter to me. Tell me."

"You mother came in and asked if I was happy about destroying your family, and I snapped at her. I'm sorry."

A cold expression settled on his face for a few seconds before it turned gentle again as he looked at her. "Don't be."

His arms encircled her, and he whispered in her hair," I shouldn't have ask you to come. Why don't you go home? I'll come by later and we'll watch a movie, or whatever you want."

She nodded against his shoulder, reluctant to leave his warm embrace. She had no idea where this was going, but she liked it a little bit too much so they were going to have to talk about it soon because if he wasn't serious about this she was going to end up really hurt.

*******************

It was later than expected when Oliver let himself into Felicity's apartment. (She had given him and Diggle a key some time ago just in case). The place was quiet and dark, but she had left a small lamp on in the living room, probably hoping he would show up at some point. He smiled. It felt great to know someone was waiting for you.

He shrugged off his jacket and put it on a nearby char and took off his shoes. He had changed before coming here and was wearing some comfortable sweat pants and a gray t-shirt.

He thought Felicity was asleep but when he lie down next to her and put his arm around her waist she shifted slightly.

"Hey. I didn't think you'd come anymore."

"I know, I'm sorry. I was hoping to leave early but people kept asking me about QC, and business and stuff."

"It's ok," she told him sleepily, settling in against his muscular form.

He nuzzled her neck, kissing it briefly before whispering, "I couldn't do this without you, you know."

She turned to him, putting her hand on his arm. "Of course you could. You were doing it long before Digg and I joined."

"I don't mean the Arrow business. I mean personally, and more specifically, I'm talking about you."

Something in his tone tore her from her sleepy daze, and she reached to turn her bedside table lamp on before facing him.

"Oliver, what's going on?"

He looked at her intently. "I'm sorry I brought you into this. I'm sorry that I pulled you from a job you love and gave you a position you loathe, even if you execute if perfectly. And I'm sorry that I wasn't clearer on the place you have in my life. Because there's nothing more important than you. Nothing."

He had never looked at her that way before, and he smiled, because she remained suspiciously silent.

"Are you still with me?"

She opened her mouth once, twice but no sound came out. It seemed like Oliver Queen had find another way of rendering her speechless, aside from putting his hand on her shoulder.

"I don't know...Is this for real?"

He laughed softly. "I love you Felicity...Is that real enough for you?"

He stunned gaze turned into a happy grin and she raised herself so her lips could meet his in a searing kiss.

When she pulled away, slightly breathless, she murmured, "I love you too, Oliver."

And he kissed her again, pouring everything he had in it. The regret of not doing it sooner, and every emotions she inspired in him every time she talked, smiled or laughed. How they had wasted so much time, but they still had a lifetime before them, so it was ok.

That connection between them, he had never know he needed it until he met her.

And he intended to hold on to it for the rest of his life.