AN: Hello everyone. I've had this idea for a while and decided it was time to put it down on paper. I think Oliver and Felicity have a very interesting chemistry and so far it has been fun to write. I'm pretty new to the whole fan fiction writing process. I love reading other people's work so I thought I'd try writing something myself. I do have a plan for this story and I'm hoping I can update often.

Summary: Someone from Felicity's past moves back to Starling City and adds a little light to her world and it doesn't necessarily sit well with Oliver.

Spoilers: Anything that has happened up to 2x13 is fair game. I will be using parts of episodes that have already happened to set up part of my story. After a certain point it will probably be based on what I believe might happen.

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters, setting, plot points etc. are property of their respective owners. Some dialogue and scenes are taken ad verbatim from the show Arrow and belong to the creators and CW. I do not own anything. No infringement is intended.

Chapter 1

Felicity slid into her tiny Volkswagen and closed her eyes as she felt her hands grip the steering wheel. Her mind was still racing from the events that had just occurred only a few hours ago. The smell of Count Vertigo still etched in her brain and the sharp pain that she still felt from his hands gripping her arms and pulling her ponytail. I knew I should have worn a bun today, she thought as she cracked a smile at her own pathetic joke.

She slowly turned the key in the ignition and began to pull her car onto the side road that paralleled with the Verdant club aka the Quiver. Her mind began to wander back to QC headquarters and she began to shake again as she remembered the feeling of the Count holding a syringe of Vertigo only inches away from her neck. She remembered Oliver standing there as the Arrow with the look of fear in his eyes. She had yelled at him not to kill for her and as he began to lower his bow she saw the pain. She couldn't quite understand what he was thinking in that moment. A look had flashed across his face that was similar to the one he had when they had their discussion after Russia. "Because of the life that I lead, I just think it's better to not be with someone I could really care about." Those were his exact words to her. At that point she had wanted to run to the bathroom just to get away from him.

She understood those words perfectly now. He had had to kill the Count because of her stupidity to wander alone into the mobile clinic. He had tried to negotiate with the Count to let her go, but as soon as the Count had gone to plan B she remembered the feeling of his hands freeing her. She had thought she would begin plummeting with the Count, but luckily the shock had made him let go of her. As she crouched down, she watched Oliver as his heavy breathing began to subside and he locked eyes with her. So many emotions were flickering within his blue eyes. She saw the anger, the fear and for a brief second, the pain. He walked towards her and knelt in front of her to calm her down and make sure she hadn't sustained any critical injuries. She had locked eyes with him again and couldn't believe that she was there in front of him.

When the Count had grabbed her, she thought that it was over for her. Oliver was awaiting his mother's verdict and Diggle was still weak from being injected with Vertigo. She had grabbed his arm to make sure he was real and noticed him wince in pain. "You're shot," she had told him and now looking back at it she probably didn't need to tell him something he already knew. Oliver's response was new to her. He whispered to her in a soft voice she had rarely witnessed, "It's nothing." The softness in his voiced washed over her and in that moment she felt absolutely safe.

After he had inspected her thoroughly he began to rise and walk towards the window to assess the damage. She remembered watching him gaze down at what she assumed was the Count's lifeless body and a large group of witnesses gathering at the scene. "I'll take care of it," she had said to him, but her voice was so hoarse that she wasn't sure if he had heard her. After a few more seconds he turned and nodded and quickly left the building. The next hour had been a blur for her.

A loud honk had snapped her out of her thoughts as she noticed that the light had turned green. She had been running on autopilot for the entire drive. Almost home, she thought.

As she pulled into her apartment buildings garage she remembered all the questions the police had asked her from "Are you hurt Miss?" to "Are you sure it was the Hood that saved you?" She thought, how dumb could some of these officers be? Of course the hood had saved her. Who else in Starling City carries around a bow and arrow?

Felicity gathered all her things from her car and walked into her apartment building occasionally being greeted by a few tenants passing through the hallway or exiting the elevator. Once she reached her floor and unlocked her apartment she placed all of her things in the hallway and made her way to the kitchen. After the day she had she was happy to make herself a cup of tea and possibly catch up on some of her shows.

As the water slowly began to boil her mind wandered back to when she had finally gotten back to the Quiver. Diggle had rushed to hug her as soon as she came into view. "Thank god you're alright!" He had said as he pulled her into a tight hug. As she pulled away she explained to Diggle that she had to make sure that the QC Applied Science Division would be able to make a non addictive treatment for Vertigo and that she would make sure she made a treatment for Diggle as well. Diggle went to grab Felicity a blanket and turned on the local news, so that they could hear the verdict once it was announced. Felicity had made a few calls and had begun to create a treatment for Diggle when he placed the blanket around her shoulders. "Are you doing okay?" He had asked her. Yeah I've been better but I'm doing okay. Luckily this work will keep me busy, she had replied to him as she took the blanket and continued to focus.

She remembered Tracy Charleston's voice of Starling city's local news program cutting through the Quiver as she announced that Moira Queen had been found not guilty on all counts. She had begun thinking of Oliver's reaction and how he would be thrilled to know his mother had been exonerated of all charges. Both Diggle and her had turned around as they heard Oliver approach them. They had congratulated him, but his mixed emotions were evident. She remembered how he had asked how they were both doing and told them that they could take the night off. After Diggle had made his way upstairs and Oliver began to turn away, Felicity broke through the silence. "Oliver I uh just wanted to say thank you and I'm sorry….I got myself into trouble again and you killed him. You killed again and I'm sorry that I was the one to put you in a position were you had to make that kind of a choice." Her voice had been shaking as she attempted to voice her apology. She had watched his face as his features softened and he reached for her hand. She remembered clear as day his next few words. "Felicity, he had you and he was going to hurt you there was no choice to make" She had given him a small smile and received one in return before he let go of her and began making his way up the stairs. After that moment had occurred she remembered exactly why their discussion after Russia made perfect sense. Her crush on him would remain just that. She was sure Oliver would never jeopardize their friendship or working relationship, as that was too important to him. She knew that if he were to risk a serious relationship it would be for someone like Sara or Laurel. Felicity knew the pain she had seen in his eyes was the pain of possibly loosing a friend.

Felicity poured the boiling water into her favourite mug and made her way into the living room. She noticed that her landline was flashing with a new message. Her mother constantly made fun of her for being old school and still owning a landline, but for some reason it made her feel nostalgic for the simpler days before technology. She laughed at the irony that she had become a technical wiz. She of course loved her computers and everything that technology had to offer and knew all the good that her gadgets did for Team Arrow.

She liked to reflect on her past occasionally and that included her childhood. Just the other day she had been looking through some old photo albums her mother had given her when she was visiting a few months ago for Christmas. She liked to block out the fact that her father wasn't present in her life and that is why she had relied on the young boy that was smiling back at her in the photo. She smiled as she looked at the two of them arm in arm as they posed for the photo. Will had been her childhood best friend growing up in Starling city. He had been her first crush and they had shared their first kiss together when they were five years old. She remembered how their mothers used to say that the two of them would get married when they were older. When Will was 7 years old his father had passed away in a car accident while riding in a cab for a company event and after that event his mother had decided to move them to Central City. Felicity had lost touch with him until they were both in University when he had called her out of the blue. They had talked about everything and it felt like they had never lost touch in the first place. At that moment they had made a pact to call each other on their birthdays every year. She pressed the button and heard Will's voice emanate from the machine.

"Hey Felicity! It's Will here if you couldn't tell by my voice. I know your birthday is 6 months away, but I am moving back to Starling city for a job and I thought we could catch up in person. Also I kind of need a place to stay until I get settled and if it's not too much to ask I was hoping I could stay with you? I promise I'll be out of your hair as soon as I find a place. There are some prospects, but I want to check them out to make sure they're okay and maybe you could come and pick me up from the airport and we could start catching up right away! You know I'm not a fan of cabs and well you'd be doing me a huge favor and I promise I would chip in and I guess give me a call back so we can talk details! I actually can't wait….beep"

Felicity smiled as the machine cut him off. Will had always been good to her and she began to think that having him back in Starling city would be good for her. She didn't really have any friends outside of Oliver and Diggle around her. Will was pure and didn't have to deal with criminals every night or be a secretary that went to MIT. She loved what she accomplished with Team Arrow and was glad that she got to help Oliver and Diggle every night, but she knew that she needed some light in her life. As she set her mug down on the coffee table she picked up the phone and dialed Will's number.

AN: Let me know what you think of the first chapter! I appreciate constructive criticism. Thank you.