This night, the one that would tear apart the world as she knew it, started like any other.

Felicity was in the foundry, typing away as she tried to access the floorplan of the building Oliver was in. They'd found another mafia druglord who might know something about the man in the mask. It seemed like any easy enough in-and-out mission, but with the possibility of other gangs showing up Diggle had decided it would be best if he joined Oliver out in the field. That left Felicity alone with a massive headache and the most infuriating firewall she'd seen in a while.

"We're at the building." Oliver's voice crackled over the comms. Crackled? There shouldn't be any static, Felicity had all but perfected the wireless signal. She hit a few more keys, effectively destroying the firewall, and told herself she'd check out the cause of the disturbance in a minute.

"Okay, so I hacked into the cameras and it looks like most of the guards are out, like you guessed."

"I don't guess, Felicity." Came Oliver's amused response. "We set off an explosion in the warehouse where they store the cocaine."

"Whatever." Felicity responded dismissively. "So there's one guard on the ground floor, he keeps moving around from room to room so just try to keep an eye out for him. The next one is just outside the front door, and then after that all you have to do is pass the two standing outside our Suspect 0's bedroom."

"Thanks." Oliver said, and there it was again - that crackling noise. Now that Oliver had the information he needed, Felicity went to work trying to find the source of the interruption. It wasn't distance - they were still in the glades, not even a mile away, and she'd tested the comms much further than that. She studied all of the wireless inputs, and - there. There was a small signal, barely touching onto their comms, but enough to cause static. Probably just a messed up baby moniter or something, but worth checking into. She typed furiously on the keyboard, checking all frequencies and routes of access, but there was nothing. Her heart started to beat a little faster in her chest. The only way that was possible was if someone was trying to hide their tracks - which meant someone was listening.

"Um, Oliver?" She asked nervously.

"I'm - a little - busy - right now - Felicity." Came his response, through sounds of a fight.

"Right." She muttered. Fine then, she'd just find out who it was before they had a major security breach. Her fingers flew across the keyboard, and then - there it was. The IP was from downtown Starling, in a place she recognized as her old neighborhood. Maybe, if Oliver and Dig didn't need her help, she could go down there and check it out herself...

That's when she realized that all sounds of a fight had ceased.

"Felicity Smoak."

Her heart froze up in her chest at the unfamiliar voice. Okay, think. She knew where the call was coming from, that was a start. Now to look up whose house it was originating from.

"Let me tell you about myself." The voice continued, as she pulled up google maps and typed in the address

"I'm someone who can give you everything you've ever wanted in life..."

Her heart did stop, now. For just a moment. Just as she recognized the address she'd typed into the search bar.

"...Or I can take it away."

It was her mother's house.

"Now, I've heard much about your talents, so I'm certain you've traced this call already. Want to speak to mommy dearest?"

"Put me down you - you son of a bitch!"

Felicity's hand rose to her mouth.

"Leave her alone."

A subtle chuckle greeted that response. "Leave her alone? My dear, we're just beginning. And if you aren't here in, oh, say ten minutes? Your little dumpster daddy will be the only parent left."

Felicity couldn't move, couldn't think.

"Felicity? Felicity, damn it, what's wrong?" Oliver's voice came back on the comms, but Felicity couldn't respond. Instead she pulled the comm from her ear, leaving it sitting beside her tablet as she rushed from the Foundry.

The drive to her old house was the longest she'd ever experienced, yet when she pulled up at the old flat she couldn't remember anything about the drive. She pulled the keys from the ignition, leaving them on the seat as she ran up to the house. She opened the door, which was left unlocked, and stepped inside.

There were two men standing inside - one had a mask, and was holding a gun. The other had an eyepatch, a vicious smile on his face...and was holding a knife to her mother's throat.

"You shouldn't have come here, Felicity." Her mother whispered, desperation thick in her eyes. Felicity swallowed, then addressed the man with the eyepatch.

"You wanted me here? I'm here. Now let her go."

The man with the eyepatch - obviously the man in charge - smirked. "I wanted you here, yes...but not because I needed anything from you. No, I just wanted you to watch as I did this."

Felicity jerked forward as she realized what he was doing, a scream erupting out of her throat, but she was too slow and the knife was moving and her mother was falling and there was so much blood -

And then she was on the ground, pressing her hands to her mother's throat like she'd learned in all of those first aid training classes but the bleeding wasn't stopping it was just going around her fingers, soaking them in blood, until, quite suddenly, it stopped.

"No, no, nonono Mom." And the blood was warm on her hands and her mother was so still, too still.

"I want you to remember this day." A voice spoke softly in her ear, but she couldn't even turn to look at the man who'd done this, who took away the only family she'd ever known. "And I want you to know that if it weren't for Oliver Queen, your mother would still be alive."

She didn't know how much time passed after that, until she was shivering and the blood was crusted onto her skin. And this had to be a dream - that was it, this was all a dream. And that would explain why she was so tired, and why even though her heart was a throbbing ball of pain in her chest not a single solitary tear had escaped.

I just need to wake up. She thought. And then, slowly, shivering, she fell asleep on the wood panelling next to the body that used to be her mother.

"Felicity!" Oliver threw open the door to the foundry, hopping over the side of the stairs instead of taking the time to run down them. But the blonde IT girl was nowhere to be found. Oliver's eyes caught on something, though - her comm, sitting on top of her tablet. Icy dread started to fasten its holds around his heart. She would never leave both of those items here.

"She left her comm here." He said to Diggle, who had come up behind him. "And her tablet."

"Look on it." Dig said, motioning to the tablet. "It might give us an idea of where she is."

I should've thought of that, Oliver thought, but he was too numb to even hate himself for missing something so obvious. "There's an address. It's only ten minutes from here - faster, if I take my bike." He looked over at Dig, who nodded at him.

"You take the bike. I'll meet you over there."

Without another word Oliver was out the door and on his bike, veering through traffic. He hadn't even thought to bring his cape - just the bow, strapped to his back. He desperately hoped he wouldn't have to use it, but if Felicity was in danger - he stopped that train of thought. Nothing could happen to Felicity. He wouldn't let it.

When he pulled up to the house, he didn't bother sneaking around to one of the windows, just kicked down the door, bow already aimed at anyone that should stand in his way. But there was no one. And then he stepped around the corner, and his heart stopped.

It was Felicity. And she was covered in blood.

He dropped to his knees beside her, searching for wounds, but there was nothing. It was only then that he noticed the woman beside her. Her throat was slit - that was where all the blood must've come from. He checked Felicity's pulse, hoping, praying - and there it was. But it was fast, and her skin was freezing. Shock, he thought, already grabbing a blanket and wrapping it around Felicity's trembling frame. Her eyes fluttered open, but she almost didn't seem aware of her surroundings.

"Oliver?" She murmered. "Am I going to wake up now?"

"Just stay awake, okay Felicity?" Oliver stood up, carrying her with him. "We need to get you to a hospital, now."

"No, it's okay. I'm going to fall asleep here, so I can wake up in the real world. It's all gonna be okay..." Her eyes were closing. Oliver shook her, even though it went against every instinct.

"Felicity, listen to me. Stay. Awake."

"Oliver, bring her to the car." Diggle's voice came from the doorway, and Oliver's head shot up. Diggle was already moving, so Oliver followed, still talking to Felicity - saying anything he could think of. He never thought he would be the one to babble in their relationship, but now he would've given anything for Felicity to utter even a single word.

The drive to the hospital was miserable. Once they walked through the doors, paramedics swarmed around them, seeing Felicity soaked in blood.

"She's not hurt." Oliver said loudly, over all the voices. "She's in shock."

"How long ago did she lose consciousness?" One of the paramedics asked. Oliver tried to think.

"Five minutes, I think."

"Okay, we need to get her some blankets, hot water and a stretcher. NOW!" And then Felicity was ripped out of his arms and he was left standing there, with nothing to do and not quite knowing how to breathe without her.

When Felicity woke up, it was to the dawning realization that it hadn't been a dream, or a nightmare. And the grief hit her so hard she mumbled an excuse about using the bathroom, and then crumpled to the ground in the stall, tears finally pouring down her cheeks. Hands shaking. Because the only person who she'd loved and trusted and belonged was gone.

When she exited the stall, she'd washed the tears from her face. She clenched her hands into balls, nails digging into her palm so hard it hurt. She didn't care.

The rest of the day was a blur. She vaguely recalled being discharged, and seeing Oliver out in the waiting room. Having to tell him what happened. Catching a cab because she couldn't bear to be around anyone right now, to make small talk, to pretend she wasn't breaking into pieces. And then crawling into her bed and smashing the picture of her and her mother, her hands cut and bleeding as she cried herself to sleep.

It was two weeks before she stepped foot in the foundry again.

"Oliver?" When had her voice become so weak, she wondered, like a gust of wind would snuff it out? Oliver stood up from the chair he was sitting in so immediately, her heart hurt. She had to do this. He'd understand.

"Felicity." The relief, the welcoming in his voice was almost too much for her to bear. "I thought you weren't -"

"I'm not." She pinched her eyes shut for just a second, cutting him off, bracing herself for what she was going to say. "I'm - I'm leaving, Oliver. I've handed in my resignation at QC, I got a job offer in San Diego."

"San Diego." Oliver's voice was dull, emotionless.

"Yeah." She bit her lip. "Oliver, I can't do this. Every time I walk into this place, I think of things I could've done differently, and when I look at you -

"You see how I could've saved her."

Felicity desperately wanted to correct him, to assure him that it wasn't his fault, that of course she didn't hear I want you to know that if it weren't for Oliver Queen, your mother would still be alive every time she saw him.

But she could never lie to him.

"I'm sorry."

And then the door was swinging shut behind her, leaving her with Oliver's heartbroken expression and the pain that was shattering her into pieces.

She didn't look back.