When Felicity thought that her heart could not possibly hurt anymore, here they were staring at Laurel's lifeless body as her father clung to her for dear life begging and bargaining with anyone and anything to bring her back. He had lost so much and Felicity's heart continued to break for him.

She glanced at Oliver, predictably so stoic. His eyes were downcast but she knew without meeting them that there would guilt, anguish and sheer devastation. Laurel was one of the great loves of his life. She was there from the beginning. She was there from the old Oliver to the Oliver that he now was. She wanted to throw her arms around him in hope to hold on to the light that has been her Oliver this past year. She wanted to comfort him and if she were honest, she needed him to comfort her.

As though sensing her gaze he looked up and wordlessly he crossed the room and drew her into his arms meeting her need without question. Felicity wrapped her arms around his middle and held him so tightly that she thought her arms would break. He closed his eyes savouring the moment. He had missed her. He missed her in ways he didn't even know possible. He missed everything about her and losing Laurel only made him more determined to never let go of her ever again. He felt her shake against him. He felt the grief that she felt. It wasn't just Laurel, it was losing Sara, losing them, and the uncertainty that lay before them. He felt her heart race against his chest,

"Felicity," he said softly in her ear,

"Honey look at me," Felicity looked up and met his gaze,

"Breathe baby, in and out." He placed his hand on her cheek,

"Breathe," he repeated bringing his forehead to hers, Felicity nodded through her tears. Little by little her heart slowed to an acceptable pace, she leaned into his embrace and rest her head on his chest. She felt safe, she felt at home. Even with everything that remained unresolved, in that moment, everything was tabled. Nothing else mattered.

The nurse entered shortly after, they would be taking Laurel's body away. John stepped forward and placed a hand on Detective Lance's shoulder, who shook his head vehemently refusing to leave his daughter. Felicity could see that it would more than likely take both John and Oliver's strength to physically separate him from his daughter. Before the two boys could make that decision she stepped out of Oliver's embrace and gave his hands a gentle but meaningful squeeze and walked over to Detective Lance,

"Pops," she said in a whisper. All their years together had gained her the status of surrogate daughter, he had long since adopted her as one of his own and cared for her as such. Quentin looked at Felicity with tears in his eyes, there was defeat and sorrow so deep that it almost drowned her. She held out a hand to him, reluctantly he kissed Laurel one last time and took Felicity's hand. She drew him into an embrace and he broke down. The howl that escaped his lips would haunt her forever.

Oliver watched in awe of her strength, that she literally gave what she didn't even have for herself. He knew she was extraordinary, but at that very moment, he knew without a doubt that she was the strongest person he had ever known.

After they had left the hospital Felicity had taken Quentin back to his place, John and Oliver refused to let her go alone. As much as they wanted to be there for Quentin, Felicity knew that they were there for her. The original Team Arrow had a bond beyond death, kidnapping and even break ups. For that they were all extremely grateful. Being in the same vicinity as each other was enough.

Especially for Oliver and Felicity who had not really been in the same room as the other in weeks. Since the night she had left the Foundry, the evening of their fake wedding. Where so much was said, but the tragedy was their heartfelt words didn't change the circumstances they were in.

John had given Felicity something for Quentin to take so that he could at least rest, and he didn't even fight her on it when she placed it in his palm. He took it without a word and accepted the bottle of water she gave him to push it down. She sat by his bed as he lay on his side looking at the wall. She placed a hand on his back as though to let him know that he was not alone. Not long after they arrived her mother had burst through the room with tears in her eyes, she knew that Oliver would have called her. Not just for Felicity but for Quentin. Felicity jumped to her feet and walked into her mother's open arms.

"Oh sweetheart I am so sorry." She murmured in Felicity's ear knowing that Felicity had not had the easiest of weeks. That she had lost yet another friend.

"I'm so glad you're here Mom. He needs you." Donna gave her daughter another tight squeeze, a kiss on the cheek before taking her coat off and laying behind Quentin wrapping her arms around him. Quentin turned to face Donna as she pulled him close to her. Felicity left the room feeling as though she were invading their privacy.

Felicity closed the door behind her and just stood there leaning against it all of a sudden feeling a little faint. Oliver whose eyes had not left her noticed and within a couple of strides standing before her ready to catch her, she looked up at him and smiled gratefully.

"Thank you. I'm okay. Just lost my bearing for a moment." She placed a hand on his cheek,

"How are you holding up?" His initial reaction would have been to reassure her that he was fine, but he was done with that, he promised himself that he would always tell her the truth, and right then and there was a good of a place to start as any. He leaned into her caress and closed his eyes.

"I'm not. The only thing that is holding me together is that you're here. That I can touch you, that I can see you."

"Me too," she admitted before wrapping her arms around his neck allowing him to engulf her into a tight embrace.

"I don't know what this means Oliver, I really don't. All I know is that I can't do this without you. Our problems are still our problems and I don't want to mislead you, but at the same time I don't want to be anywhere you're not. It's selfish, but I just need you." She murmured as she clung to him. Oliver held her tighter against him.

"Hey, let's just get through this day. I need you every bit as you need me. We will only survive this together. Let's take it one day at a time." Felicity nodded.

"I love you." She said looking up at him. In that moment she felt like he needed to hear it. That if there was one thing she wanted him to know, it was that she loved him. With all her heart. The kicker of it was loving each other wasn't their problem.

"Felicity, with all my heart, always, I love you. More than you will ever know," he replied brokenly dropping his lips to her shoulder as he held her tightly.

"Oh Oliver, I know. I really do." She promised wiping the tears that escaped from his eyes.

John watched them from where he stood by the kitchen bench and found himself praying that they would make it through this, together. That out of anyone, they deserved a happy ending, and they deserved each other. That they deserved to be with each other. After a few moments he excused himself,

"Hey guys, I'm going to head home. I haven't told Layla yet. I didn't want to tell her over the phone." Oliver and Felicity who had not moved from the door of Quentin's bedroom glanced up at him.

"Did you want us to go with you?" Oliver asked speaking for himself and Felicity who nodded,

"No, I'll be okay. Your Mom and Lance might need you both to be nearby."

"If you need anything, let us know." Felicity replied.

"That goes both ways." John reminded her. Felicity stepped out of Oliver's arms and into John's. He has been the older brother she never had, and she was eternally grateful for their friendship. They had been through so much together, he had been there especially when Oliver was not.

"You love each other, in these moments it's hard to imagine what matters more than that." John whispered softly in her ear as he hugged her tightly.

"Life is short, be happy for as long as you can be. For however long that may end up being. You both deserve it." Felicity hugged him tighter and acknowledging that she was hearing what he was saying. As Felicity released John, Oliver drew him into an embrace.

"Roy is with Thea. She said to you let you know that she's fine and not to worry about her." John assured Oliver knowing he would be wanting to bounce from Felicity to Thea.

"She said if she needs you she'll call and vice versa."

"Thank you Dig."

"Of course, I'll call you both later and we can start making arrangements. I don't think Lance is going to be up for it."

"No, I don't think so either. I'll probably start making a list at some point. We should make something to eat in case he gets hungry, I doubt he'll eat but just in case."

"By we, she means you Oliver because we all know Felicity should not be allowed in the kitchen." John said teasingly earning him a smack in the arm, but a smile had finally appeared on Felicity's face. He dropped a kiss on her temple.

"It's good to see a smile on your face. I've missed it." John who saw her the most had not seen her smile in the last few weeks since everything since the revelation of Oliver's son had been revealed. Oliver caught that, and felt his heart tighten.

After John had left, Felicity and Oliver had relocated to the couch. She had pulled out her tablet from her bag and together they began to make a list of what needed to be done. His arm was draped around her as she lay against his chest, both not wanting to be apart from the other.

"We are the sorriest broken up couple ever," she observed out loud making him chuckle. She realized that such a remark may have too soon, and a little inappropriate, but Oliver understood, and she knew he would.

The days that followed were like a blur. They had all pulled together and planned the funeral. Quentin Lance was not in any shape to be planning another daughter's funeral. They all knew that it was Donna that was keeping him afloat, and lessening the temptation to grab a bottle of vodka and down it in one sitting. She had not left his side at all since she came to see him the day Laurel had died. Felicity was bringing her clothes, and Oliver was cooking their meals. She and Oliver were camped out on Lance's couch most nights. If not there, at the Foundry. She couldn't quite bring herself to go home with him, and he knew it scared her, so it was unspoken that their home, his home was currently off limits.

Barry, Cisco, Caitlin and Iris had come for the funeral. To pay their respects and to be there for Team Arrow. Barry knew that the last few weeks had been tough on both Felicity and Oliver. She had called him to tell him that the wedding had been cancelled, and that she and Oliver had broken up. The discovery of Oliver's inability to share with her the news of his son was what tore them apart, just as it did in back in it's original time realm. A part of him felt responsible even if he knew better. He had run to Starling City as soon as she had uttered the words, and was there to hold her hand as she told him about their fake wedding, and how at the end of it all, they were done. That though she may love him, she didn't feel as though he trusted her enough to tell her the truth. That being the Green Arrow and saving their city would always come first, that Oliver's first instinct is to throw himself in front danger and sacrifice himself for others without a second thought of what she would lose losing him. That had always been a part of the job, one she always knew about, she didn't want him to give up being the Green Arrow, she just wished that keeping things from her wasn't his initial reaction. She began to wonder if it had always been that way, or whether it was something that came about when they got together, whilst extracting information from Oliver was always a task, she didn't think he had really big things from her until recently. Then again, maybe she just never took it personally until they were together. Maybe it wasn't noticeable until their status quo had changed, if that were the case, could she really blame him for that. He hadn't changed, but her expectations of him had because of what she thought their relationship should look like.

Oliver watched her from their kitchen. They had decided to hold the wake at his place as it was the easiest option. They had all been camped out at Quentin's place, and it was easier to set up in Oliver's place. Felicity had suggested it and after making sure that she was okay with it, Oliver agreed. She was standing by her favourite window. It was the one she always stood at to look out at the city. The countless times that he had come home to find her there lost in her own thoughts. He could tell that her mind was running a million miles an hour and he found himself making a silent plea that she did not talk herself into walking away again. He couldn't lose her, not now, not ever. As though she had heard him she turned her head gave him a reassuring smile. God she loved him. She loved him so much her heart could explode. She saw the fear in his eyes, the panic that their truce would end and that she would just walk away from him again. She wished she could promise him that her running shoes were off once and for all, but she couldn't. They just had to take each day as it came. She hoped that for now, it would be enough for him. She knew that they would have to have a talk, and they had a silent agreement that they would after the funeral. She bit her lower lip not quite knowing where their talk would end up. The thought of it was overwhelming. At the same time she knew that they would need to talk and there was no avoiding it. All of a sudden she felt queasy, and everything around her seemed to spin. Trying not to bring attention to herself she tried to slide into the nearest seat. Oliver saw her and immediately ran over to her catching her just in time,

"Felicity,"

"I'm okay. I just felt light headed all of a sudden. I guess the lack of sleep has caught up." She said trying to reassure him and John who was also now by her side.

"Have you eaten anything today?" Oliver asked knowing that she merely played with the breakfast he had handed her earlier that morning.

"Yeah, I think so." She answered still a little disoriented. John left to put a plate together for her.

"I need you to take better care of yourself if you're not going to let me take care of you." He pleaded softly,

"Hey, I'm okay. I am taking care of myself and you have been taking care of me. Maybe not in the same capacity but I know you're taking care of me too and I appreciate it more that you'll ever know. So thank you."

"You never have to thank me." Oliver replied solemnly. Felicity took his face with both her hands and kissed him on the forehead.

"We're going to have to talk," she murmured,

"I know."

After everyone had left, Felicity and John had stayed to help Oliver clean up. Donna had taken Quentin home and assured Fecility that they would be okay, and if she and Oliver needed to have a conversation or if she just wanted to go home and sleep in her own bed, which was currently in her mother's spare bedroom she could. She knew that Felicity had not stopped for days and would require some down time to just recuperate before resuming her life as per normal. She too has noticed the sudden exhaustion in her daughter's countenance. When the last dish was washed and the last bag of trash was taken outside, John bid them farewell anxious to be with his wife and daughter. They had decided to hold all Arrow related activity until after the funeral and wake. Which meant the following day, it would be back to business. He wanted to make the most of his time with them.

Felicity sat down on the couch exhaustedly and Oliver followed suit and sat beside her. They sat in a somewhat comfortable silence for a few minutes, both their heads were thrown back against the back of the couch. The sight was not unfamiliar, after coming home from an exhausting evening of Arrow activity, they would collapse on the couch side by side in the same manner as though they were decompressing.

"Oliver, I don't know how to fix us. I don't know if we're meant to be fixed. Loving each other was never our problem. If it was just love, then without question we would be together. If love made the world go round, we are set. But it's not just about love. In some ways, I think love plays a part in your inability to trust me in all facets of your life. You love me so much that you feel like you have to protect me from what you think I need to be protected from. But Oliver, I chose this life with you. I chose you. I knew what I was walking into when I told you I loved you that night before we left you." She took a deep breath before continuing,

"Whilst your love and need to protect me plays a part in not telling me full truths, it's not just that. You may not believe it, but from where I am sitting you not telling me such important details of your life only tells me that you don't trust me." Oliver was about to protest but he closed his mouth and allowed her to continue,

"Oliver, there was a long list of people who knew you had a child before I did and what hurts the most is that had he not gone missing, you still would have not told me about him. I can't live like that Oliver, and I won't. You're supposed to be my team mate, through everything it's supposed to be you and me and it doesn't feel like that. At least not anymore. I don't know if it's always been like that and I just haven't noticed, or this is something that resulted from our being together. I don't know. The last few weeks I've been reliving our time and I've started questioning whether you have ever really trusted me. I've been replaying all the scenes and wondered whether you were telling me the truth, whether you were keeping something from me, and it has made me doubt what we had. Because if it was built on a lie, then it was a lie."

"Felicity," he said brokenly with tears running down his cheeks. It broke his heart to hear her question their love, and everything they have been through. The hardest part was, he understood how she could.

"We are not a lie, what we have is not built on a lie. I will never be able to take back choosing not to tell you about my son, and if I could I would because no consequence is greater than losing you, but I can't. At the time I just didn't think that I had a choice. I didn't want Samantha to take him and flee and for me to never see him again. I didn't want him to be taken away before I got the chance to get to know him. I wanted her to see that I was different. I thought that if she could see that I was a different person that she would change her mind eventually and she would let me tell you."

"Oliver you were going to marry me without telling me the most important piece of information in your life thus far. Were you really going to stand before our family and friends and declare to have and to hold, to be partners in life knowing that was a lie because at that point you were holding the biggest lie ever."

"I just wanted to marry you Felicity, and being with you was all I wanted. I had hoped everything else would fall into place in time. I had hoped that,"

"That what Oliver, lying to me was okay? That you were willing to bet that my love for you was so significant that I would forgive you?" she asked in disbelief,

"Yes, no, I don't know."

"Oh Oliver, I do love you. With all my heart. That's why you choosing to lie to me has broken my heart. You chose to lie to me. You chose to continue to withhold information that you knew would impact our lives in such a way. I don't know how put my heart together after that. I wish I did, because I do love you that much. That being apart from you is like living with a part of me has died, but I don't know how to because I will always wonder what else you're keeping from me. Oliver you didn't just break my heart, you broke my trust in not only you, but in us. If there was one thing I believed in, it was Felicity and Oliver as friends, in ways I hadn't even learned to believe in Felicity and Oliver as a couple."

"Then let me earn it back Felicity. Please. If I have learned anything losing you, losing Laurel, living this life, it's that life is too short, and if I spend the rest of mine trying to prove to you that I am worthy of your trust then that's enough for me. Just please don't walk away. Please don't shut me out. Let me start from the beginning, no filters."

"Oliver,"

"Felicity, whether you know it or not, whether you believe it or not you see me. You see through me. You see me better than anyone. So look at me, look at me and know that I will do anything to get us back to where we were. Look at me and know that I can't lose you. I can't breathe when you're not with me."

"Please Felicity, give me the opportunity to try."

"Oliver,"

"Please," Felicity sighed.

"Okay," she answered reluctantly, fear evident in her voice as it quivered. Oliver cupped her cheek with his hand and his eyes bore through hers as he tried to convey that she could trust him with her heart, that he would do anything and everything he could to prove that to her. Felicity nodded as though she understood, Oliver kissed her forehead and drew her into his arms and held her so tightly she could barely breathe.