Disclaimer: I do not own in any way the CW TV show Arrow or any of the characters.

"Have either of you two heard from Felicity?" Oliver asked Roy and Diggle as he approached the both of them in the lair.

Both Diggle and Roy shared a brief glance towards each other when Diggle simple said, "No, we haven't. We were just talking about that Oliver. It's been over four weeks and no contact. It's not normal; something's wrong man."

Oliver rubbed his eyes with the palm of his hands clearly frustrated, "I knew Palmer sending Felicity to Africa was a bad idea."

"So what are we going to do about it?" Roy asked with determination.

After a beat Oliver turned and headed for the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Roy called out.

"To have a chat with Ray Palmer." Oliver said in his Arrow voice.

Oliver approached reception at Queen Consolidated.

"Mr. Queen. This is a surprise. How can I help you sir?" The receptionist asked with a smile.

"Ray Palmer, I need to speak to him. It's urgent." Oliver said pointedly, with no time for pleasantries.

"Uh…do you have an appointment because Mr. Palmer only sees people who have appointments…." The receptionist drifted off as the glare Oliver was giving her was making her too scared to talk.

"It concerns one of his employees, Felicity Smoak."

The receptionist's eyes darkened at the mention of Felicity's name and her head went down solemnly.

"What?" Oliver snapped.

The receptionist looked up unshed tears in her eyes, "Felicity was always so nice to me. I think she was the only one here that called me by my name except for Mr. Palmer of course. I like to think she was my friend."

Oliver's eyes widened at the receptionist's use of Felicity in the past tense.

Now, more desperate for answers, Oliver headed towards the elevators.

"Mr. Queen, please you can't go up there without an appointment." Her shouts muffled as the elevator doors closed.

Oliver reached Felicity's office to find Captain Lance, uniformed police and Ray Palmer.

"Oliver, what are you doing here?" Captain Lance asked with a sympathetic tone which only made Oliver's heart beat even faster.

"I'm looking for Felicity. What the hell is going on here? Where is she?"

Captain Lance moved his glance from Oliver to Palmer, "You haven't told him?"

Ray simply shook his head.

"Told me what? Where's Felicity?" Oliver shouted.

"We have a situation. Ms. Smoak's missing." Captain Lance responded calmly.

"What do you mean, missing?" Oliver counter asked confusion and worry written all over his face.

"I mean she's gone. Palmer here told me she went to Africa to build relations with Queen Consolidated counter parts and when she missed her last check in, he called one of his contacts in the FBI who then called me."

Oliver stole a quick glance to Ray who was looking down, his mind going a hundred miles a minute. He wasn't letting on to everything he knew about Felicity's disappearance.

"May I speak with you for a minute, in private?" Oliver asked through clenched teeth and then walked to the outer office.

Once they were out of ear shot of Lance and the other officers Oliver spoke up, "You are going to tell me everything you know and don't leave out the little details you aren't mentioning to Captain Lance."

"I want to find her just as much as you Oliver." Ray harshly whispered back.

"So, tell me what you know."

Ray sighed in defeat.

"For the last three months she has been checking in with me every day, yesterday was the first time that she didn't."

"What exactly was she doing in Africa?"

"Exactly what Lance said; I made sure Felicity had a protective detail assigned to her. Highly trained ex-marines and seals. The best of the best. I contacted them last night and that's when they searched her room to find that she and the girl were missing."

"Girl, what girl?"

Ray let out a breath hesitant and conflicted to tell him this part.

"You sent Felicity for a different purpose didn't you?"

Ray took out his phone and showed Oliver a photo of a young American girl.

Oliver shrugged his shoulder, "Why are you showing me this?"

"This is my sister, Chloe, she just turned eighteen. She went to Africa after graduating high school to train to be an aid worker. The counter part of Queen Consolidated found out she was my sister and kidnapped her to blackmail me into giving them a high percentage of our assets. I sent Felicity to make the exchange to get my sister back."

"Let me get this straight. You sent Felicity, a person who can barely defend herself to Africa to deal with a man who will do anything to close a business deal. Why didn't you send one of your contacts with the FBI instead of an innocent woman?"

"She is stronger than you think. It was Felicity's idea. To transfer as much of the assets as this man wanted an IT specialist is the only person with that kind of knowledge to do that and it takes time. It was completed just last week. It took three months. Felicity finally made contact with Chloe and the transfer was complete. They were both safe and were having one last night there before coming back home."

Oliver covered his face with his hands taking a step away.

"Who took her? What's his name?"

"Jabril Tookmen."

"If anything happens to her, anything, it is on you." Oliver said as he turned to face him.

"I already know that."

Oliver arrived back at the lair to find Diggle and Roy glued to the computer screens.

"Oliver, what did you find out?" Diggle asked as he stood up.

"Felicity went to Africa to rescue Palmer's sister."

Roy now stood up and had the same expression as Diggle, pure confusion.

"She's missing." Oliver said as he let out a deep breath.

Diggle gasped but remained standing however Roy braced himself on the table.

After some time to get their head around things, Oliver told them everything he knew and that's when they got to work on finding Jabril Tookmen. If they found him, they would find Felicity.

"Oh my God," Diggle exclaimed at the computer.

"What is it?" Oliver asked as he came up behind him.

"They found her."

"Felicity?" Roy asked, hopeful.

"No, Chloe Palmer. This police report says that an hour ago she turned up at the American Embassy in Africa."

Oliver's phone rang.

"Oliver, Chloe's safe, Felicity is being held in a camp north of Cape Town by Jabril. She doesn't have long left Oliver."

Oliver responded by shutting his eyes tight. "How is it that your sister is safe and Felicity is still being held captive?"

"Felicity took Chloe's place. Chloe said that Jabril realized that Felicity would be a better way of liquidating Queen Consolidated so he let Chloe go."

"How is that possible?" Roy whispered.

Oliver turned, "What,"

"It's an e-mail from Felicity." Diggle said whilst staring at the screen.

Oliver hung up and slowly walked to the computer.

"Open it."

"It's a video file,"

"Download it and put it up on the big screen."

Diggle did as requested and the three of them stood before the big screen.

A person wearing a black hood tied to a wooden chair in a dark, dusty room appeared. The hood was removed sharply by a masked man to reveal, a terrified, withdrawn Felicity.

"Say what needs to be said." The masked man ordered.

"No," Roy whispered while Diggle's hand slowly covered his mouth in shock and Oliver's eyes began to water at the sight of her.

Felicity inhaled a deep breath and raised her head to look into the camera.

"If you are watching this, it means I don't have long left. Mom I love you and I'm sorry that we didn't get a chance to be closer. To my team back home, it was an honor to work with all of you. You are my family and my home and I wouldn't change one second of my time with all of you. Ray, it was my choice to come to Africa, my choice, please don't feel guilty about this. It isn't your fault. I just pray your sister is safe and back with you." Felicity paused and looked down, tears now flowing desperately down her face. She inhaled a deep breath and lifted her head to the camera to say one last thing, "Oliver, my home, 3693."

"Ok that is enough." The masked man voiced as the screen went black. Visual was lost but sound remained…BANG. One single shot and that was it, it was over, visual, sound and Felicity now gone.

Roy closed his eyes tight tears fighting to stay in had no choice but to release. Diggle braced himself on Felicity's table with anger brewing, tears flowing. Oliver as if everything was in slow motion walked away, sounds drowning out until the sound of his own heartbeat was all that could be heard. It took Oliver all but a minute to figure out Felicity's message to him. He arrived at her townhouse using the spare key she had given him in case of emergencies to enter. He didn't look around, he went straight to where she wanted him to go remembering the last time he had spoken to her.

Four weeks ago (The last time Felicity made contact from Africa)

Oliver's phone buzzed while he was having lunch with Thea. Looking down at the number he knew who it was. He excused himself and walked where Thea could still see him but could not hear him.

"Hey," Oliver said with a smile in his voice, excited to just hear her voice.

"Hey Oliver, How are things?" Felicity asked tiredly.

"Everything's fine. Are you ok? You sound different."

"I'm fine Oliver. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."

"Say the word Felicity and I'll go to Palmer myself to get you on the next flight back home."

"Stop worrying Oliver, I'm fine. I didn't call you to argue about my safety again. I called because…" Felicity drifted off not wanting to say it in fear of crossing the boundary the both of them had built since their kiss at the hospital.

"Why Felicity?" Oliver whispered.

Felicity closed her eyes, justifying that she was a world away and what harm could saying what she wanted to say really do? "Because I wanted to hear your voice, because I miss you Oliver….and Diggle and Roy."

Oliver waited a beat in case she wanted to say more. "I miss you too Felicity."

"How's my townhouse? No-one has broken into it have they?"

"What?" Oliver asked confused at how she could go from a heart to heart to asking how her house was managing.

"My townhouse Oliver, before I left I asked you to check in on it, make sure it wasn't being vandalized or broken into, not that I'm rich and have a lot a robber would want but I do have a safe with a four digit code but even in that there isn't anything of value, well value in a money sense…"

"Felicity, why are you telling me all this?" Oliver interrupted, exasperated and confused.

"You know I ramble when I'm nervous," Felicity replied with a light but fake chuckle.

"Why are you nervous?"

Felicity hesitated before she replied with, "I feel like I don't know how to talk to you anymore Oliver."

Oliver let out a breath, "I feel the same way. So what are we going to do about that?"

"I think you decided that pushing me away was the best solution."

"Felicity….."

Another faint voice entered the line, "Ms. Smoak, dinner is being served."

"Say hey to Diggle and Roy for me. I gotta go. I'll call you next week."

"Bye Felicity."

"Bye Oliver."

Present time (Felicity's house)

Oliver found himself crouched down in front of a silver safe. His shaking hand entered the four digit code Felicity had told him in the video 3693….. he opened the safe to reveal a single envelope. He took it out of the safe and went to sit on her couch in the living room. His name in her cursive writing was written on the back of the envelope. He opened it slowly exhaling as he unfolded the letter Felicity had written to him:

Dear Oliver,

If you are reading this, it means it's not good. I want you to know I knew full well what I was getting myself into. I just wanted to help. All I can do now is hope that the circumstances of my death means that Chloe is safe. I want to thank you Oliver for letting me join your team. You gave me a home, a place that gave me a purpose, best of all you made me feel a love that could make my heart rule my head. I know what you see when you look in the mirror, a weapon that in time will self destruct. You want to know what I see? I see an amazing man, a man who has been to hell and back and came out wanting to help people. I see Oliver Queen, not your past self or even the Arrow, I just see who you are now. I see the man I fell in love with and you have no idea how good it feels to finally say that to you, relatively speaking seeing though, you are reading this and I'm not actually here anymore. Say goodbye to Diggle and Roy for me. Please tell them how important they both were to me.

Love Always,

Your Girl, Felicity.

Oliver's breathing became more rapid as he finished the letter as his sobs filled Felicity's home. He held the letter to his chest as he crumbled to the ground. At this point, the front door opened and Diggle came in to discover Oliver on the ground clutching the letter to his chest. Diggle knelt beside him embracing him tightly and through a cracked voice said, "I'm so sorry Oliver."

Six months later

"You've got to see this Oliver." Diggle said as he turned the plasma on in the foundry to reveal a news woman revealing some breaking news.

"The man responsible for taking down Queen Consolidated formerly owned by the Queen family and more recently Dr. Ray Palmer has been found dead right here in Starling City. His name was Jabril Tookmen. According to Starling Police he kidnapped a Queen Consolidated employee who they refused to name, and under duress forced this employee to liquidate Queen Consolidated. This employee was apparently killed by one of Tookmen's followers. Police say that he was overpowered by a woman seen leaving his hotel room and died as a result of his injuries. The police are currently searching for this woman."

"We have been tracing Tookmen for six months. How could he just show up in Starling City without us knowing?" Oliver said through clenched teeth.

"I don't know Oliver, the point is he's dead and we need to find the woman who's responsible."

"I think I know who she is." Roy said as he approached them slowly appearing to be in shock.

"Who?" Diggle asked.

Roy kept his head down appearing to have recently been in a fight.

"Roy?" Oliver snapped.

"I tracked her down from a buddy of mine in the glades and I found her. I was about to call you guys when she spotted me and ran. I caught up with her and we fought, she's trained so it took me a beat before I got one up on her. I removed her hoodie as she stumbled back…." Roy drifted off.

"What happened? Why didn't you bring her here? She would have been able to give us answers we have been looking for from the past six months. If you got one up on her, where is she?" Oliver yelled the last part as he moved an intimidating step closer to Roy as Diggle held back.

Roy squared himself and looked Oliver directly in the eye. "I let her go because…." Roy let out a breath before continuing, "the woman under the hood was Felicity…Felicity's alive and she was the one who killed Jabril Tookmen."