6 months had passed after Oliver Queen had defeated Slade Wilson, but not before he had managed to wreak havoc on his life. Slade had revealed to Thea that she was Malcolm Merlyn's daughter, he had made it obvious that Oliver had known and had deliberately kept it from her; resulting in her packing her bags and leaving for Europe with Roy but not before telling Oliver that their relationship was over. Moira's campaign had ended once her affair with Malcolm Merlyn had been exposed and her public reputation had decreased rapidly.
After the death of Diggle and Sara 'Team Arrow' just hadn't been the same, there was an unbearable silence that sometimes fell on the two remaining members, one that even Felicity, with all her word vomit and ramblings, couldn't seem to make better. It was then that Oliver had had enough and had done what he did best; which was run.
He had gotten in his car with a packed bag one morning and had kept on driving until he reached a small town that was literally in the middle of nowhere. The first thing he did was rent an apartment and then sit down to search for a part-time job.
Several more months had passed and by then he had fallen into a simple routine: wake up, eat, go to work, work-out, eat and then sleep. He kept his head down, trying not to attract too much attention to himself. He was nice and civil, but not too nice that people would be interested and feel at ease to ask him questions about why he had moved from Starling City. Which was quite an easy thing to do, given his reputation, but somehow people in this town seemed to not care, they had far more interesting things to be getting on with than focusing their attention on him.
He thought that running away would solve his problems, but as always he was wrong; the longer he spent away from Starling City the worse he felt. And it was because, he realised, Felicity Smoak was no longer in his life. Over the last few months since he had left he had tried to put her at the back of his mind, tried to pretend that he wasn't worried about how she was doing or what she was doing, but he couldn't. The amount of times he would dial her number and wait to hear her voice before hanging up were uncountable.
So when he came home from work one particular afternoon to find Felicity at his apartment door, he couldn't help but feel relieved. Suddenly his world no longer looked as dark and grey as it had before.
"Felicity," he found himself saying.
She turned around and stared at him without uttering a word. She looked so different. Her eyes were much colder than he remembered; she had also gone natural with her hair, so she was now a brunette. It made her look older than she was, Oliver reckoned, but she still looked absolutely gorgeous.
Oliver was about to speak when Felicity pulled something out of the brown paper bag that she was holding. Mint chocolate chip ice-cream. He suddenly recalled a moment before Slade had ruined their lives, when Felicity had revealed to Oliver and Diggle that she comfort ate. They had laughed for ages about that. He couldn't help the small but genuine smile that spread across his lips at that memory.
He walked over to his door with a smile and let them both inside.
They spent the rest of the afternoon eating out of an ice-cream tub without talking. For now they were just content with being in each-other's company. That was, until Felicity broke the silence.
"You left me." She whispered quietly.
Oliver breathed out heavily. This was a conversation that he had been dreading having.
"I couldn't stay anymore. It was too much for me."
"And you don't think it was too much for me?" Felicity argued, "To lose 3 people I loved and cared about so much."
Oliver reached over to where she was seated and grabbed her hand. "You haven't lost me."
Felicity let out a sigh and pulled her hand out of his grasp. She ignored the hurt expression that was written on his face.
"I have, maybe not all of you but part of you. Just like you've lost a part of me, ever since Digg- " her voice trailed off. She couldn't finish the sentence, Oliver didn't think he wanted her to. It still hurt so much.
"He was my brother."
"He was mine too."
Silence
"How did you know where I was?"
Despite the situation Felicity smiled, one of Oliver's favourite smiles that made him happy from his core.
"Your car GPS. Have you forgotten that I am an IT genius."
Oliver chuckled.
"I'd never forget something that makes you so remarkable."
Felicity shot him a warm smile, "As always, thank-you for remarking on it."
Oliver's eyes drifted over towards the clock. It was getting late.
"You should stay." He said. He hated how his voice came out shaky and unsure.
Felicity's cheeks turned a beautiful shade of red. He smiled to himself, some things would never change.
"If you're sure?"
He nodded. "I'm sure."
Oliver quickly whipped them up something to eat before they both went to sleep. He slept on the couch, despite Felicity's protests that he shouldn't have to, whilst she slept in his bed.
The next morning he wakes up to the smell of fried breakfast. Confused, he goes into the kitchen and see's Felicity wearing one of his shirts, making them both breakfast. That sight makes his chest tighten and his blood spark.
Just then she turns around. "Breakfast's almost ready, could you?" She doesn't even have to finish the sentence before he understands what she means. He quickly sets the table and then takes a seat.
They eat their breakfast in comfortable silence.
It's not long before he has to leave for work. A part of him doesn't want to go, just wants to stay home with Felicity. But he forces himself to follow his routine.
When he gets home that afternoon he finds Felicity comfortably laying on the sofa, her tablet in hand. She looks up when he walks into the room, her face breaking out into a smile.
"How was work?" She asks.
"Same as always," he replies, "The customers were a pain."
She chuckles softly and tilts her head to one side, eyeing the brown paper bag in his hand.
"The good thing about working in a bistro is that they sometimes let you take some food home."
"Oliver Queen working in a bistro, I never thought I'd see the day." She teases.
He scoffs and rolls his eyes before heading into the kitchen. After a few minutes he comes back out again, he looks almost nervous.
"I'm going to go out for a run. Join me?"
So she does.
They leave town within a few months.
"Where should we go?" Felicity asks as Oliver's driving.
"Anywhere but Starling."
So they drive until they find someplace that looks interesting.
They end up in Los Angeles.
They visit the Getty Center which Felicity absolutely loves. Her excitement at the museum makes Oliver grin way more than he's used to.
Oliver really wants to go to Venice beach so that's where they go next. They spend around 2-3 days there.
They check out Rodeo drive. Oliver offers to buy Felicity some clothes there but she politely refuses, something about it being way too expensive. It doesn't matter though because he buys her a few clothes anyway.
Oliver even takes Felicity to see a live concert. She almost passes out with excitement. She had never been to a live concert before, she keeps on saying whilst they get ready, even though it was something she had always really wanted to do.
After a few weeks in LA they decide to head off again.
When their car breaks down they buy a map at the gas station.
They choose their next location by flipping a coin.
This time Felicity drives them to Seattle.
They end up loving it so much that they find an apartment they can rent and stay there for several months.
Felicity gets a job in a café shop and Oliver works as a trainer at a gym. It's amazing how easy it is for the both of them to start up new lives with each-other.
Felicity and Oliver stay there long enough to make a few new friends; Emily and Stephen and David and Katie, who invite them out to dinners and movie nights. Who help lighten up their lives in different ways.
Their life becomes so normal they almost forget.
But they never do.
"We should keep moving." Oliver says randomly one Saturday evening whilst they're watching television and eating a take-out.
Felicity understands why.
They next end up in Kansas City.
Felicity gets Oliver to take loads of pictures whilst they're there; when he asks her why she tells him that "memories fade but pictures don't". At first he doesn't get what she means, but then he does.
Kansas City is where they kiss for the first time.
It's late at night, they're walking back to their apartment after seeing a movie and then going out for some dinner, when Oliver holds Felicity's hand and doesn't let go. She turns her head to say something but before she can his lips are pressed gently against hers. Kissing Felicity is like nothing he's ever expected, it's so much better, it fills him with sparks and leaves him wanting more.
After their kiss they don't talk until they reach their apartment. Well, they don't really talk then either. It's like a switch has been flicked once they walk through their door and suddenly they're hormonal teenagers hungry for the other.
They make love to each-other until the early hours of the morning. When they wake up late the following afternoon, their bodies entangled with the other, they finally feel closer to real peace.
"I love you." Oliver says, dropping a kiss on the side of Felicity's head.
He feels Felicity smile.
"I love you too Oliver. Always have."
They are in Colorado for 4 months when Thea suddenly calls Oliver.
"Speedy?" Oliver whispers in disbelief.
Felicity looks up from what she's doing and watches as Oliver talks to his sister for quite a long time.
After he hangs up Felicity walks over to him and he pulls her into his lap.
"She's coming back."
There's a long silence that neither of them want to break.
Eventually Oliver breaks it. "I can't go back. I told her where we are and she said they'll be flying over in a few days."
Felicity cups Oliver's face in her hands. "My home is wherever you are. It always has been and it always will be."
Oliver breaks out into a wide grin and carries Felicity into their bedroom, where they make love until they eventually fall asleep in each-other's arms.
Thea and Roy join them a few days after.
"About time you and my brother got together, blondie." Thea says as soon she meets them.
"You look good, Speedy." Oliver states.
She smiles and shrugs. "Europe agrees with me, I guess."
Oliver pulls her into a tight embrace. At first Thea remains stiff, but after a few minutes she gives in and hugs him back.
"I missed you so much, Olli. I'm sorry about what I said."
"I deserved it."
"You deserved my anger yes, but you didn't deserve me telling you that our relationship was over. I guess it's just the raging bitch in me."
At that Oliver scoffs out a laugh. "Well, I wasn't going to put it like that."
Thea rolls her eyes but he knows they've made up.
The four of them spend another couple of months in Colorado. They don't live in the same apartment, but Roy and Thea rent out one that's close enough to them.
Eventually everything becomes to much and they leave Colorado. Roy and Thea decide to stay behind.
Oliver and Felicity are on the highway when they get into a fight.
It starts when Oliver asks where she wants to go next and she tells him that she's tired of running.
"I thought you said your home is wherever I was?" he asks accusingly.
"It is, I just don't want to run anymore!"
"Well what do you want us to do? Go back to Starling City where everyone we love is dead?!" Oliver asks, his voice getting louder as he loses his patience.
Felicity shot him a glare. "Do you think I want to go back to Starling City? You think I want t go back to a place where somebody I loved was taken away from me? I'm tired of driving, I'm tired of being a stranger in new places. This may be something you're used to, but not me!" Felicity retorted back, using her 'loud voice'.
She couldn't help the tears that started to fall.
Oliver noticed and instantly his anger was gone. He hated seeing the woman he was in love with in tears.
He reached over and placed a hand on Felicity's leg, giving it a light squeeze.
"Where do you want to go then?" He asked gently.
Felicity looked at him for a long while before answering.
"Where we were happiest."
Oliver sighed deeply. "So it's time to go back then?"
Felicity nodded.
"There's no place like home." Felicity murmured softly.
"I'm not ready, Felicity."
Felicity gave Oliver a sad smile, "Neither am I. But as long as we have each-other."
"Always" Oliver replied in a heart-beat.
Felicity smiled softly and leaned over to kiss him.
"Well, let's go home then."
/ end