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Laurel watched them from across the room, they weren't doing anything they hadn't done hundreds of times before. Oliver was working the salmon ladder and Felicity was running programs on her computer but you could tell they were well aware of what the other one was doing.
Felicity sighed and rolled her shoulders stopping for a moment to work the kinks out of her back and neck.
"Hey, are you okay?" Oliver asked, stopping his upward momentum on the salmon ladder.
"Yeah, just sitting here too long and I'm just a little cramped up, that's all." Felicity responded, popping her neck and stretching her toes straight.
"Well we don't need to know about the bank robber's every movement right now. He'll make a mistake soon, so get up and walk around or get some coffee or whatever would help you get the kinks out. He'll still be out there." He said dropping to the floor.
"Yeah Blondie, what is it that you need to get the kinks out?" Roy said laughing from the training mats, earning him a warning glare from Felicity.
Diggle was sparring with Roy and he did a sweeping kick and knocked his legs out from under him, putting him flat on his back.
"Thanks, Digg." Felicity said while laughing at Roy on the floor.
"No problem, Felicity." He replied as he stretched his hand down to help Roy up from the mat.
Laurel watched as Oliver walked towards Felicity. By this time she had turned back to her computers and her fingers were flying over the keyboard again. He walked up behind her putting his hand on her shoulder, her typing slowed a little and she relaxed immediately, leaning into his touch. Her relaxing made the tension in his shoulders leave and Laurel couldn't hold back a snort of laughter.
"Laurel, something you want to share with the rest of the room?" Diggle asked with a small uptick of his mouth as he walked to get his water bottle.
"No, I was just thinking about something--"
"Well, that's kind of the point of sharing so that we can know to and maybe laugh with you?" Roy interrupted her as he walked over to the med table to take the tape off his hands.
"It really is nothing--" Laurel said slowly.
"Oh, now I know that I have to know if you're trying to keep it secret." Roy said smiling.
"Who's keeping a secret? I can get it out of them." Thea said as she came down the stairs.
By this time Oliver and Felicity had turned from her work station and everybody's attention was focused on her. Roy was leaning against the med table where Thea had walked to and started taking the tape from his hands and Digg was sitting in a chair in front of Oliver's arrows.
Laurel was looking at everyone but she really didn't know what to say. She didn't love Ollie anymore, at least not that way, and he'd finally stopped telling her that she couldn't go out into the field so they had somewhat of a truce going on. She knew how protective they all were of Felicity, hell the last few minutes proved that, and judging by the looks she could see them throw each other when they thought no one was looking, she would bet serious cash on the fact they loved one another. She missed Tommy and having a person to come home to at night, to talk to about the day and these two were ignoring that they could have that. She couldn't exactly tell them that, she'd probably be thrown out on her ass and visited later by the Arrow, not something she wanted--
"Heeellllloooo Laurel!! You in there somewhere?" asked Roy, snapping his fingers when she didn't answer. Apparently, he had called her name more than once.
"Sorry, it really is nothing." Laurel replied, looking at the dummy and not them, "I've got a case that's bugging me a little bit and I was pretending the dummy was the defendant and I was thinking the dummy was better looking than him even without arms and being made of rubber so when I realized what I was thinking, it was funny because if you knew the guy I was talking about and then look at the dummy--"
"Oh my God!" Roy said, interrupting her again and looking toward Felicity, "you got her babbling too. It's not contagious is it? Maybe it only affects the females." He turns towards Thea, grabbing her hand and walking towards the stairs quickly, "We are getting out of here before you start talking your head off."
Thea started laughing and walked faster to keep up with Roy, "You didn't seem to have a problem with me talking so much last night."
Roy stumbled, turned and looked at her and then glanced to Oliver. His jaw was set and he just knew he was going to get pummeled tomorrow during their training session but he just started walking faster and soon they all heard the door slam.
"You need my help with anything, Laurel? Maybe there's something else that I didn't find the first time I looked at the case, I can look at it again if you want." Felicity asked as she turned back to her computer bank.
"NO! NO! NO! I'm good with all that Felicity. It's just a little bit of stress that I need to work out, you know, things in my head that need to be purged so that I can focus."
"Okay, well is anybody else hungry?" Felicity asked, "because I am and since I'm the only one not all sweaty, I'll make the run down to Big Belly and pick something up. Anybody want anything?"
"Felicity, just give me a minute and I'll go get whatever you want," Oliver said, "I can take a quick shower and--"
He stopped talking when Felicity put her hand on his bicep. "Oliver, you just told me to do something to get the kinks out and when I find something, you want to do it for me?" She said smiling up at him.
His hand went to the back of his neck rubbing it and told her with a slight smile, "You're right, I'm sorry. I don't want anything but thank you."
"Guys?" She asked looking at Laurel and Digg.
"No, nothing for me, thanks. I'm eating a late supper with Dad tonight and he's making his famous pot roast." said Laurel.
"None for me either, Felicity. If I don't eat my wife's cooking sometime, she's going to think I don't love her anymore." Digg said.
"Well, we can't have that now can we?" I'll be back in a little bit then." She said as she grabbed her keys, purse and phone and headed out.
Laurel watched Ollie watch Felicity go up the stairs. The look on his face was not something that was ever directed towards anyone but Felicity, she shook her head, looking away and went back to training. She was hitting the dummy where Digg and Roy had shown her. Why the hell weren't they together? The way they looked at each other and the concern they had for one another, that's love. Hell, she wished she had someone to look at her the way Ollie looked at Felicity. She would do anything for it, to have Tommy back and she felt that they were wasting precious time, life was not infinite.
"Spread your stance a couple of more inches and straighten your arm out completely when you punch." Oliver told her as he walked up to her.
"Damn Ollie, you scared me!" She replied as she stepped away from the dummy.
"I thought I might, you looked like you were in your head again. So, you want to tell me the truth or do you want me to believe the story you just told us?"
"What do you--what are you talking about?" Laurel stammered.
"Laurel, I know I was the crappiest boyfriend ever, I've got that title locked but I do remember when you would lie, you would always say it was work related. I was there when that guy was brought in and I remember your assistant mentioning that she would be more than happy to give the man conjugal visits if he was convicted because he was hotter than Channing Tatum. She turned beet red when she realized that she said it out loud so I know that you weren't thinking the dummy is hot. You want to tell me what you were actually thinking about?"
"No, I really don't, Ollie. We are in a good place right now and even though I wouldn't mean anything by it, you wouldn't take it the way I meant it and then our little truce would be over and it would be hell down here again." She said as she grabbed a towel.
He didn't know what to say to that. On the one hand, he wanted to know but they were sort of getting along now and that was all because of Felicity. She told him one night when they were alone in the Foundry and he was upset with Laurel for not listening when they were out patrolling, that Laurel needed to be here. She said that while Laurel and Captain Lance were Sara's family, Sara had been in the lair and around Team Arrow more often than them and she felt closer to Sara her than anywhere else. He had to admit that he liked coming down here and there not be tension, this was his safe place where his family was and where he protected his city.
"Laurel, I know that we don't always see eye to eye but if there's something going on and you need to talk, we are all here. If you don't want to tell me, there are four other people to chose from. Talk to one of them because I can't be worried about you out in the field not having your head on straight. I've got your back but I need you to have mine and theirs too."
She walked over to him and put her hand on his arm, she felt him tense under her hand but she ignored it, "Ollie, it really is nothing. Just something that has my attention but it won't affect me when we are out, I promise. Just like Digg, Roy, Thea and Felicity, I have your back and I will do everything you tell me to make sure that you get back home to her every time."
She removed her hand, picked up her water bottle and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. As she walked past Digg, he gave her a small smile and a nod, then she heard him ask Ollie if he wanted to spar.
When she came out of the bathroom, Felicity was back and sitting at her computers drinking from a Big Belly cup. Ollie and Digg were sparring on the mats, so she grabbed her purse and told everyone good night.
"Wait, let me get my shoes on and I'll walk out with you." Felicity said.
"Are you leaving too?" Laurel asked her.
"No." Felicity replied as she did a sweep of her hand in front her, motioning Laurel to go ahead of her.
Laurel didn't know what was going on but she went up the stairs with Felicity right behind her. Ollie and Digg never stopped their spar session so they weren't concerned that she was walking her out.
They got outside and Laurel was headed to her car when Felicity put a hand on her arm to stop her.
Laurel turned around and looked closely at the blonde who she noticed looked nervous.
"Is there anything that you want to talk about?" asked Felicity.
"No, why?"
"When I got back, Oliver and Digg told me what you said while I was gone. I know that we aren't friend per say but I do care about what happens to this team and you are a part of that. I want you to be just as safe as everyone else when you are out on patrol. So if you ever need to talk, you can talk to me, okay?"
Laurel was honestly shocked. She didn't know if she had it in her to be this nice to an ex-girlfriend, hell she knew that she hadn't been nice to any of Ollie's flings when they were dating. She hadn't even been nice to Felicity when they first met and her she was wanting to make sure that she was okay. Seriously, what they hell was Ollie's problem? This woman was obviously too good for him but she loved him.
"Okay, well, um, I just wanted you to know that. I didn't mean to put you on the spot so..." Felicity rambled when Laurel didn't reply and she turned to go back downstairs.
"Felicity, wait."
She turned back around and looked at Laurel who said, "Felicity, I'm going to say the same thing to you that I said to Ollie. What we have right now is great and I know that he doesn't like me in the field but at least he's stopped saying it. I do whatever training with whoever he wants me to train with and I make sure that I don't go off half-cocked just because I think I can. So I don't want to say what I was thinking because it would be taken the wrong way and yeah, we aren't friends but I think we could be someday and I don't want to jeopardize that."
"Laurel," Felicity said, "you have a history with Oliver and you're Sara's sister. You are here because Sara was here and she had no problem speaking the truth. If you really want to say it, say it. If you want me to keep it to myself, I will but just know that I'm here, I won't pressure you anymore. Any of us are willing to talk any time of the day or night, whenever you need us, okay?"
"Thank you Felicity, I'll think about it."
Laurel walked to her car as Felicity headed to the door, she had her hand on the handle when she heard Laurel call her name.
"Yes?"
"I have a feeling that I might regret this later and I know this is none of my business and I don't know how you'll take this but why aren't you and Ollie together? You both look at each other with such love and respect that--"
"That's what all this has been about?" Felicity interrupted her asking.
"Yes, you were all tense from sitting so long and he's always tense but when he put his hand on your shoulder, you relaxed and when you relaxed, the tension left from his body to. It's like he can feel what you feel and when you're happy, he's happy. Well, as happy as I've seen him since he came back from the island. "
"You're right, I don't know how to take that." Felicity said slowly as she looked at Laurel with wide eyes.
"I knew I should have kept my mouth shut but I was standing there beating up on a dummy and thinking do these two have any idea how much they help each other? And I don't just mean with Arrow things. What I wouldn't give to have someone look at me like he looks at you or vice versa. He may be the Arrow but you are the heart of this. You keep us all safe when we're out there. If he's angry or upset, have you noticed that we let you talk to him? Digg and Roy are nearby just in case but we all know that he would rather die than hurt you. Once you weren't there yet but Thea was and she got him to calm down some but the minute he heard the door shut and you babbling that you were sorry the meeting ran longer than expected, he completely stilled. He was still angry, you saw it when you looked at him, you dropped everything on the table and walked up to him, asking what was wrong. You put you hand on his arm and whatever you said to him, got him to calm down. We'd been with him for over and hour and all he needed was hear you enter the building and things started getting better. Again, I know it's none of my business but considering what we do on a daily basis, I don't understand why you wouldn't want to grab this with everything you've got and never let go."
"Wow, that's wow. Ummm, I honestly don't know what to say. I'm not sure of what we are except no together. I'm so sorry that any of this has affected you." Felicity said looking lost in thought.
"Oh, no, no, no, Felicity," Laurel said placing her hand on her arm so she would look up at her, "It doesn't affect me personally, I'm not jealous or anything but I just want, hell, I don't know what I want. And to be honest, I am jealous. I didn't have the man that you have now. I had a boy who cheated, who came and went with no concern to my feelings at all, who wouldn't listen to me for anything and you have the man who had literally been to hell and back and listens to everything that you say."
Felicity was looking at her with eyes wide and an "O" shaped mouth and stammered, "Laurel, I--"
"Oh God, I have serious foot-in-mouth disease! I shouldn't have said anything, please Felicity, tell me we're good." Laurel said quickly, "I like what we do and I feel close to Sara here and I don't want things to change. I hope you won't say anything to the guys because I don't want things to get awkward like they are right now."
"I told you that if you didn't want me to say anything I wouldn't so no worries there and things aren't awkward. I just didn't realize that you thought about any of this." Felicity replied.
"It's not something that's conscious; it just comes from watching the two of you interact. I'm not in love with him anymore but I do want him to be happy. Honestly, you're not someone that I would have picked for him but there is no denying that there is something about you." Laurel said smiling.
Felicity laughed and said, "I've actually heard that before."
Laurel reached out to give Felicity a hug. They hugged for a moment and Felicity told her to tell Captain Lance hello when she saw him. She went back into the Foundry and Laurel left to eat with her dad.
Three hours later, Laurel walked into her apartment after leaving her father's and immediately knew something was wrong. The hairs on the back of neck stood up and as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw a figure in the living room. She took her baton from her purse and dropped the purse on the table. She quickly flipped on the light switch and saw Ollie sitting in one of her chairs.
"Ollie, seriously what is it with you scaring me tonight?" She said as she dropped the stick by her purse.
"What did you mean earlier when you said that you'd make sure that you'd get me back home to her?" He asked never looking up from studying his boots.
"What?" Laurel answered with a puzzled look on her face.
"Tonight in the lair, when you were telling me that what was on your mind wouldn't bother you in the field, you said you'd do everything you could to make sure that I got back home to her. What did you mean by that?" Oliver asked again, looking up at her. She had to take a step back from the look in his eyes. He looked lost and that's not something that she's used to seeing from him. He was always so self-assured and in control.
"Ollie, it's obvious to anyone that is in the same room with you two that you love each other. You can just look at each other and have this silent communication that the rest of us don't understand."
"I just--" He steadied himself and started again, "I just need her to be safe and she can't be safe is she's with me. The enemies that I have, Oliver Queen and the Arrow, would seize that weakness if they knew how important she is. I can't--I have to--she just has to be safe."
Laurel couldn't help it, she snorted again. He head shot up and she was trying not to laugh because he really believed what he was saying.
"Ollie, you're an idiot and it really is weird to hear you talk about yourself in the third person. How many of your enemies already know who she is? Slade, Helena, Isabel, she even had someone target her when she was in Central City and that had nothing to do with you. She's already in danger and even if you were successful in pushing her away, which we both know won't happen, they would still know she's the key to get to you. It would make more sense to me to have her under your protection 24/7 than try to push her away. Don't you?"
"Laurel, she's already under my protection. Digg, Roy, myself, your father even does what he can to protect her."
"God, Ollie, could you be more dense?" She said shaking her head as she looked at him, "when I say 24/7, I mean as your girlfriend, maybe live together, maybe more one day." His eyes got big as saucers when she said that but she kept on, he needed to hear this.
"She has proven that she can take care of herself, time and time again. But there are those out there who know who you are and would want to hurt her. They wouldn't dare lay a hand on her if you were together. She would be yours and I know that you think that would put a huge target on her back but I actually think that it takes it off. You just said that she's under all of our protection, including my father, who's a captain in the SCPD. Anybody would have to be the dumbest criminal to try to get to Oliver Queen's girl considering her bodyguard is ex-Special Forces who's married to a badass A.R.G.U.S agent. Her unofficial adopted brother is a boy from the wrong side of the tracks who can whip anyone's ass and is friends with yours truly, Starling's district attorney. For those that threaten the Arrow's girl, again, Special Forces, A.R.G.U.S agent, Arsenal, and the Black Canary. As it stands right now, she's just Oliver Queen's ex EA and just tech support for Team Arrow. We are the only ones who know how far you'd go to protect her. We all know that it's Felicity who protects you while you protect this city. She would be yours and you would be hers. She already protects you from yourself when you try to take the world's problems on your shoulders. Think about it Ollie, you could actually have a life with someone you love, take care of and protect her when she needs it and let her do the same for you. Why wouldn't you want that?"
He looked at her with pain in his eyes and asked, "Don't you think I want that? Slade is in prison on Lian Yu and threatened her. He's escaped so many times, Sara is dead, Tommy is dead, Mom is dead, and crime isn't down. There always seems to be a new threat and I just can't see how it can be done."
"I wish you were against me in court right now because you just made my case. Life is short, so yes, Ollie, all of those things are bad but it doesn't answer the question of why you can't be with her. Yes, you were a horrible boyfriend; yes, you went through God knows what, only God knows where for five years and you've spent the past three protecting this city. You deserve to have happiness in your life, Ollie. You can't live the rest of your life doing penance for past mistakes. We all have things in our lives that we wish we could change but we move on and make our lives better. You can do that too if you weren't so stubborn. You love her and she loves you. Stop punishing yourself and hurting her and do something about it."
"But what if I'm the one that hurts her?" He asked quietly.
"Ollie, you're going to hurt each other. You love one another and neither of you back down so there will be hurt feelings but you can work through it. That's what committed people in love do everyday. Why should the two of you be any different?"
"Well, there is our night job--"
"Stop using that as an excuse. Your night job, as you call it, could get YOU killed one day and how do you think that would make her feel? She--"
"See, that's exactly my point! I'm saving her from hurt!" Oliver all but yelled as he jumped from the chair he was sitting in.
"Let me finish. She would be upset that you were dead but what would devastate her would be knowing that you two could have had time together, loved one another, and had a life with each other. On the other hand, if you two were together and you died, she would have those memories of you loving her and she would be heartbroken but not shattered."
"Laurel, that makes absolutely no sense. Either way, I'd be dead--"
"Reverse it then."
"What?"
"Reverse the situation. What if she died?" The look on his face was enough to make her gasp out loud but she continued, "What if she dies and you two are like you are right now? You love her but you're not together. How would that make you feel knowing that it was in your power to make memories with her that no one could ever take away but instead kept her at arms length?"
"That is not something that I'm going to imagine--"
"In this instance, you are Ollie. Look. At. Me"
He looks up at her and the look of heartbreak in his eyes and his slumped shoulders is hard to look at.
"Ollie, I know that you love me, and Digg and Roy but if something happened to one of us, you'd be upset and just like when Sara died, you would be the strong one and carry on because you know that's what we would want you to do. But if it was Felicity, and you are doing the dance you're doing right now, I can honestly say that it would break you. I have no idea what happened to you the time you were gone and I don't think I want to. But I know from the scars on your body that it wasn't good but whatever it was, didn't kill you. Her dying would and none of us, including Thea, would be able to help you."
She walked up to him and laid a hand on his arm saying softly, "If she died and you two were together, the memories that you'd have of her laughing at something you said or her face when she first wakes up in the morning or what the bathroom smells like when she leaves the shower or any of the other millions of little things that people who love one another daily share, would get you through it. It's not easy, trust the recovering alcoholic who misses Tommy everyday."
His eyebrows shot up when she mentioned Tommy and she knew that he still felt guilty about that but continued on.
"I remember when he would pull me to him just to whisper something in my ear or he'd grab my hand when we were walking somewhere, or push open a door to let me go through first. I'd always say thank you but he'd just wiggle his eyebrows and tell me it wasn't manners, he just wanted to see my ass. Things like that get me through the days Ollie and I know that I spiraled out of control but where my demons where alcohol and drugs, you're demons are a little more deadly. Felicity wouldn't want you doing anything like that in her name but I don't think you'd have control over the anger."
"No," He said softly, "she wouldn't want me killing if there was another way. I understand what you're saying but it's just a lot to take in. I just assumed with the life I've had for the past eight years wouldn't let me have a family and love."
"Seriously, you really are dumb."
"I think if you keep calling me variation of stupid, I might get a complex."
"Ollie," She said laughing, "you have a family. Granted it's not the traditional kind but you have Digg, Roy, me, Felicity, Lyla, Sara and of course, Thea. We are all here for you, helping you so I'm going to ask again, what's stopping you from loving Felicity and being loved by her? We're your family and you want us to be happy but we want the same for you."
"Laurel, I--" He stopped mid-sentence and froze.
She was worried for a second until he looked at her with a genuine smile on his face saying, "You are a damn good lawyer. Remind me to never be on the opposite side of you in the courtroom."
She laughed and replied, "Given what we do at night, we'd probably be sitting there together."
Oliver pulls her in for a hug saying, "You know this is very strange conversation to be having with an ex-girlfriend."
"Ollie," She said as she pulled back smiling, "I can remember a few more that were way stranger than this but you're not that boy I loved anymore. You're the man Felicity loves so would you be so kind as to leave my apartment and get your girl."