Oliver limped down the last few steps to the lair. He dropped his bow on the table and collapsed into a chair. Diggle walked down the steps a few minutes later and sat down in the other chair. Wordlessly, he tossed a first aid kit to Oliver.
"Roy went out to get something to eat. He'll be back in half an hour or so."
"And Felicity?" Oliver asked, gritting his teeth as he cleaned a cut above his eye.
"I told her to go home. We're done for the night."
Diggle grabbed a rag and wiped the soot off his face before he spoke. "What happened between you and Felicity?"
Oliver looked up, meeting Diggle's gaze. "Nothing. It just didn't work out."
Why? Diggle's unspoken question hung in the air.
Oliver looked down at the gauze in his hands. He sat there silently for a long time, until Diggle was sure he wasn't going to answer. He stood up and was halfway up the stairs when Oliver's quiet voice stopped him.
"A man can't live by two names." Oliver let out a deep breath before he continued. "I can't be Oliver Queen and The Arrow at the same time. Not now. I can't be Oliver for Felicity, not without leaving The Arrow behind."
Diggle walked back down the steps until he was standing in front of Oliver. "Oliver, do you honestly believe Felicity loves you because you're Oliver Queen? She fell in love with you, all of you, knowing full well who you were and what you did."
"You don't get it. This life, if Felicity and I were together it would put her in danger. I'd never be able to live with myself if she got hurt because of me." Oliver turned away, his head bowed.
"She's a member of your team. That puts her in danger, the same as any of us."
Oliver whirled around to face Diggle, his eyes flashing. "Being my girlfriend would only make her more of a target. I won't do that to her."
"That's not your decision to make." Diggle replied, his voice rising. He waited until he had control of his emotions again before he continued. "I can't force you to do anything. But Oliver, anyone can see how much you two love each other. She deserves happiness - and so do you."
Diggle walked away before Oliver could respond, leaving Oliver along with his thoughts.
A knock on Felicity's door startled her out of her restless sleep. She had fallen asleep on the couch and as she got up, she winced, feeling it dig into a still healing bruise left over from the explosion. She opened the door and blinked, surprised. Oliver was standing in her doorway, rain dripping from his hair onto his expensive suit.
"What happened? Did something happen? I can get into the city's surveillance systems from my laptop…" Felicity started to make her way back into her living room, but Oliver didn't follow her. He just stayed where he was, leaning heavily against the doorframe. Felicity realized he wasn't following her and stopped, turning to look at him.
"Oliver…"
Suddenly, Oliver was moving. He limped across the hallway until he was standing right in front of Felicity. His calloused hands cupped her face and then he was kissing her and she was kissing him back and it was like she was coming home. Oliver's lips were warm and soft and fierce against hers. As they kissed, his hands moved down until they were wrapped around her. Felicity stretched up, wrapping her arms around Oliver's neck.
Eventually, they broke apart. Felicity forced Oliver to sit down on the couch while she went to get him some ice. It wasn't until he was resting on the couch with an icepack on his ankle that she spoke.
"Oliver-" Felicity began, but Oliver cut her off.
"I know I said we couldn't be together. And at the time, I meant it. I didn't - I don't - want you to get hurt. But maybe that's just a risk I have to take. A man once told me you can't live by two names and I don't think I really understood what that means until now. I can't be Oliver Queen and The Arrow at the same time, not if I try to keep them separate. And I think that's okay." He laughed sadly. "It's not like I'm protecting anyone anymore by keeping them apart. Anyway, if I didn't screw it up too much last time, maybe we could try that whole date thing again. Dammit, I'm babbling aren't I?"
Felicity sat down next to Oliver on the old couch. She leaned over and kissed him, effectively stopping him from talking. As she pulled back, Felicity smiled.
"Oliver, I didn't fall in love with Oliver Queen. I fell in love with you. If you can get that through your head then I'm willing to give it another try."
Oliver smiled. "Between you and Diggle, it'll be impossible not to."
He kissed her lightly. Oliver reached into his pocket and pulled something out, letting it dangle from his fingers. It was a necklace, with four small, interlocking arrowheads forming a star. Felicity let Oliver fasten it around her neck.
He gently kissed her forehead and leaned back against the couch. Felicity curled up against his side, hearing his breathing even out as he drifted off to sleep. She smiled contentedly as she drifted off to sleep, safe in Oliver's warm arms.