"The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun."

~ John Krakauer, "Into The Wild"

. . .

"You know I thought we were going to brainstorm how to take back the company…"

"We are…we will," she said absentmindedly, her back still to him as she sat outside watching the sunset. It seemed like for the past two years that she'd been running around so busy with work and Team Arrow business that she hardly took the time to really appreciate life. It wasn't even the big moments; it was the little ones that she really missed. Watching the sunset, taking in the beauty of the sky change colors as it did so…eating a cupcake and savoring all the flavors of it.

"You okay?"

She didn't answer.

In truth, she didn't know.

Was she? She had nightmares still… They trailed behind her happy dreams and would then keep her from sleeping any further. It didn't matter where she slept, whether it was at her place in her own bed or at this new Foundry underneath of her on a cot. She slept the same. Felicity knew deep down inside of her that Slade Wilson was in an ARGUS prison on Lian Yu and that he wasn't getting out, and more than that…he'd been cured of the Mirakuru madness.

It had been a week.

It had felt like so much longer…

Felicity had a feeling that it felt so much longer because of sleep deprivation. She was fairly sure that even Oliver was getting more sleep than she was. "I could have died…that's all I keep thinking…" she whispered and finally had the courage to look back at him. He seemed suddenly confused and upset by her confession.

Oliver moved to sit next to her, his hand running down the side of her face. He was so quiet and she could see so much emotion in him. It wasn't often that Oliver showed emotion, especially something other than being pissed off. Being pissed off with being the Arrow. She'd learned that. But then he spoke in the quietest voice she'd heard him use. "You know I wouldn't have let that happen…"

"Slade could—"

"I knew his game…"

"I know," she whispered back. "It still didn't…doesn't…make it any easier…"

"You deserve so much more," he told her gently.

Felicity pulled her face away from his hand and turned her head away. She focused on the sun setting in the distance. The sky was a mixture of blue, purple, orange, and the brightest pink… "It makes you rethink your life, doesn't it? I mean, you have to know better than all of us… Almost dying… What you're doing wrong… What you need to change… What you need to take the time to do… To live… I think that's so weird, we're all too busy working and doing everything that sometimes we forget to live… To live in moments… To live like we might not have a tomorrow," she went on. Felicity looked over at him. "Because we might not have one…"

"Felicity—"

"When was the last time you watched the sun set, Oliver?"

"After Tommy died. When I was on Lian Yu," he admitted. "The sense of time is so different there…and all I had to do really was to think…"

"Like I'm thinking?"

He nodded slowly. "I wasn't the one who almost died then. Tommy died in the Undertaking…but it might as well have been me…"

Felicity shook her head. "You've done so much since then," she whispered. "Think about it. REALLY think about it. The person you are today, would Tommy have been proud? Your mother? Your father?" She paused for just a moment. "Because I'm proud of you…"

His eyes stared at her, not letting hers leave his. It was so nice for the two of them to have this time. It didn't happen very often. And being outside of the Foundry probably helped things. Diggle was off with Lyla, but he'd be there soon. Felicity was fairly sure that they still had another half an hour before he arrived since he hadn't texted her to inform her that he was on his way. He'd offered to stop and pick her up something if she needed anything.

John Diggle, sweetest man alive.

"You're right," he whispered. "That doesn't make it easier though."

"Did going into the wild of Lian Yu last year help?"

"A little…"

"…'cause we were just there," Felicity pointed out. "You could have taken your shirt off and taken a run around the island to get that out of your system before we left last week."

Oliver laughed and shook his head. "Not exactly—"

"I'm just saying…I wouldn't have minded," Felicity teased and smiled at him. It was a little too hard to stay so serious and so sad, especially around Oliver. She was still reeling from so much that had happened over the course of that one day. Felicity hadn't realized that one day would have been able to make her consider so much. It wasn't just Slade trying to kill her, it was Oliver… He'd told her that he'd loved her, but then it had been just show for Slade. Which was all fine, she always told Oliver that she wanted to be more involved in the team and that he needed to let her make her own choices. He couldn't always keep her safe.

He'd let her make the choice.

Felicity really had been so overwhelmed by his 'I love you' that she really hadn't taken in the realization of the danger she was agreeing to put herself in until he'd left her there. It wasn't that she wasn't willing to do it, she was. She'd do anything for Oliver, it was the fact that that could have been the last time that she could seen him and she hadn't been able to whisper those three words back to him because of the shock she'd initially been in.

But it had been her choice nonetheless.

"I was ready to come home," he told her as he stared at her.

Felicity looked towards the sunset again. It seemed like in just minutes that it had transformed, the colors were bolder and twisting together. Even amongst the disorder and chaos that followed Slade and his henchmen's rampage through the city, it was nice to know that there was still beauty in Starling City. "We have a lot to rebuild…"

"I know."

"If we get Queen Consolidated back, we need to figure out a way to really put a lot of effort back into rebuilding the city," Felicity told him. "I know, it's not what QC is there for, but it's what has to be done. Someone has to do it. It might as well be us."

"Agreed."

"What about Queen Mansion?" she asked. "And Verdant?" Felicity knew that those places were both important to Oliver. It was one thing to try to get control of the company back, but who knew if that meant that they'd be able to regain both properties. Felicity had a feeling that it wouldn't be as easy as pointing out that Slade Wilson, Isabel Rochev, and Sebastian Blood had been behind all the chaos throughout the whole year…but then, Felicity realized, if Isabel hadn't come in for her hostile takeover the year before they probably wouldn't have gotten Oliver off of Lian Yu. So, maybe…maybe some of the things that happened because of Slade Wilson wasn't horrible.

Felicity liked to think that things just made them stronger.

"I don't need the mansion," Oliver said. "It really hadn't been my home for a long time…"

"But it was your parents'…" She knew that even though there were a lot of things with his parents that had come out over the years, it came down to the fact that they were still his parents. No matter how twisted their motives had been and no matter how badly they'd screwed up, they'd both loved Oliver and Thea.

"You're right, but it could be put to better use," Oliver told her. "And maybe in a way that we can give all the staff my mother had back their jobs."

"What? Like an orphanage?" she asked. She didn't know why that was at the top of her head, but it just bubbled up after thinking about all of those rooms and all the space. She'd thought a hotel, but that really wasn't something that was necessary. But between the Undertaking and Slade's citywide massacre…she was certain that there were kids without parents… "That's a—"

"It's a good idea," Oliver told her. "My mother would have liked that… I remember when I was younger and unappreciative of everything, my mother told me how much she missed Thea and I being younger. How she loved the sound of children in the house. She didn't miss the breaking of things, but she missed the sound…"

"And Verdant?"

"I haven't talked to Thea."

"You should talk to Thea," Felicity told him. "And also, I'm really concerned about something with this new Foundry…"

"We can call it something else," Oliver responded.

"It's not that," Felicity insisted. "It's the height of the ceilings…"

"The height of the ceilings?"

It was clear that he was lost.

Felicity sighed. "I'm thinking that they might be too low to move all of the equipment from the old Foundry to here."

"Digg and I—"

"The salmon ladder hasn't been moved yet."

Oliver grinned. "You're right."

"I know how important it is for you to keep yourself in shape," Felicity said, trying to make it sound like she had no personal stake in it. "But you know, if Sara decided to come back at all…I know that she enjoys using that…specific piece of equipment… And I don't know if you've talked to Diggle about it, but he even seemed a little sad… I think he really wanted to challenge you."

He chuckled. "Good to know the concerns…"

"But really, it's important," she told him seriously.

"Okay," he said slowly as he got up to his feet before holding out his hand for her to take. "I think it's time we head down…"

She took his hand and got to her feet. Felicity grabbed his arm and looked out at the sky. "Just another minute," she practically begged. He seemed to relax and just stand in silence there with her. No one she'd rather watch the sunset with.

The colors were beautiful and seemed to dance even as the sky darkened. She could see the bright stars dotting the sky and was a little sad that there weren't more that could be seen over Starling City. This was something that she really needed to get used to taking time to do. Little things. To remind herself to slow down…just a little.

"Oliver?"

"Yeah?"

"I know that we talked about this on Lian Yu briefly…and I know you said it because we had to…we had to stop Slade…" Felicity said quietly. She was trying to keep calm as she spoke and not get overly emotional. It wasn't like she could run off and hide if Oliver didn't take what she was about to say well. "I love you," she told him completely honest. "And I just…I needed to say it to you."

He stared at her for a long time before his hand took hers and squeezed it a little. "I think it's going to be a long night, but if you're up for it," he spoke up quietly. "Why don't we come back here? Watch the sun rise?"

"Really?"

"You're right," Oliver told her. "We need to live more…"

. . .

The End.