I hope the format isn't confusing. The regular font is present time, italics the past.
She knew she should have followed her gut instead of her heart. Not following her instincts was why she was in her current situation. The reason she ran away, swearing to herself that she wouldn't look back – she'd start anew.
It happened organically small touches, long glances, and sharing confidences, not something out of the ordinary for friends. However, they made sure to do these things when they were alone, away from Digg and Isabel. They started working later hours at Queen Consolidated or going back to her apartment to continue working, at least that what they told themselves. For a while it worked no lines we crossed, they were Oliver and Felicity, until they weren't. Somehow the lines became blurred and neither knew whether or not they were crossing them. They were. Yet, they managed to keep things professional around others, after all they had yet to share a kiss.
They continued on this path for a while it wasn't until they found out Sarah was alive and the new vigilante, that they found all lines had disappeared. What unfolded wasn't out of grief or guilt, it came from longing. They both felt the gravitational pull, the need to be close to one another, the desire to be loved. It was one thing that was always present and they couldn't deny it any longer. It was that night they went from being two separate entities to becoming just one. The morning after was transformative for her, she thought he'd regret it and want to put it behind them. He didn't. He wanted to go public, give them a real shot, he said. She wasn't convinced at first, she needed more time she wanted them to be absolutely sure before they included others in their secret. He agreed, willing to give her the time she needed, he could be patient for her.
It was a blissful two months before she started to feel secure with their new circumstances. He was happy to hear that she was ready to tell Diggle, Sarah, and Thea about them. Nothing had ever felt as right as it did with Felicity. On the night they were going to let their friends in on their secret, Felicity had one more request. She asked him to be sure, one hundred and one percent sure that she was what he wanted. She said if he wasn't, if he had any doubts or lingering feeling for Laurel, to tell her then. She was giving him one chance, one get out of jail free card and he could use it now. He swore to her that he was over Laurel and didn't want anyone else but her. She believed him but she also warned that she was falling in love with him and if he changed his mind later, she wouldn't be able to handle it. If he broke her heart she would no longer be a part of his life, she wouldn't be able to handle it. Again, he swore that he wanted her and only her.
No one seemed surprised at their revelation. Sarah, said she felt the chemistry the first day she met Felicity and Digg knew it would happen eventually, Thea thought they were together since she came by the hospital to see Walter. Everyone was accepting and happy, Sarah and Digg threaten Oliver with bodily harm if he hurt her. All-in-all, it was a success, everyone was supportive and it didn't affect their working environment.
It was the best seven months of her life, for once she was deliriously happy. Everything was working out, QC was getting back on its feet, Isabel was under control, the Glades was slowly but surely being rebuilt, and her relationship with Oliver was stronger. Best seven months of her life and she'd always remember them that way.
It was the eighth month when things started to unravel. QC was still prospering, so were the Glades, her relationship however, had hit a rough patch. Oliver stopped spending every night with her, stating that he needed to be there for Thea. She understood, their mother was in the middle of being tried for mass murder. What she didn't understand is why he turned her down when she offered to accompany him home. He said he needed this time alone with his family and that hurt, still, she nodded and remained the supportive girlfriend. The situation went from unraveling to falling apart after finding out Laurel was second chair for the prosecution. Oliver was so mad and hurt by her betrayal that no matter what Felicity did to try to help him, he just kept pushing her away. She started doubting things when he told her he was going to visit Laurel to find out why she was prosecuting his family. She told him not to, that it may hurt his mothers case but he didn't listen. She really started to worry when he came back and told her Laurel wanted to help him, she didn't want Moira to get the death penalty so she came up with that deal. She told him she didn't want to see his mom suffer but there was little she could do if she wasn't involved. Felicity didn't see how Laurel was helping it didn't make sense to her, but then again she was known for being overly rational at times. So instead of sharing her thoughts, she gave Oliver a smile and suggested they eat dinner. A few days later he told her he was meeting with Laurel again, she had some information for him. Once again, she warned him that if they got caught it would hinder his mothers case, instead of listening to her, he blew up, calling her jealous and stating she was putting her insecurities above the life if his mother. She watched as he slammed out of her apartment, angry, going to find comfort in the one woman in loved for years.
After their fight nothing was the same, he barely came over, when they spoke it was QC or Arrow related. The worse part was that everyone noticed. Digg and Sarah were concerned for her, neither wanted to see her get hurt. They tried to get her to talk about what was going on but she refused. A few days later Sarah pulled her aside, "get out now," was her advice. She had been patrolling and went to check on her sister, she said she saw Oliver there and though they weren't doing anything bad, they were sharing wine and having a few laughs. That how her heart started to break a little bit at a time. She explained to Sarah that Laurel was helping him with his moms case. Sarah huffed, "they were not talking about Moira, that much was obvious. Just don't let him hurt you," was the last thing she said to Felicity on the topic.
They were into their ninth month now, but she wasn't sure they even had a relationship anymore. She made it a point to speak to him, even if he was avoiding her. She set a fake appointment on his calendar and when she came through the door to tell him she was his appointment he wasn't amused. She took the seat before him and told him her issues, she explained that she wasn't insecure about Laurel helping him until he made her feel that way. She explained that she was worried what would happen to his mother of they got caught. She told him that she loved him and was here for him and would support him no matter what, but to stop avoiding her. That's when it happened, when the few cracks spread, meeting one another and completely breaking her heart. He told her he wasn't angry at her but at himself. He needed time, he said, to regroup. He needed time away from her, to concentrate on his family, to be sure of what he wanted. He admitted to spending time with Laurel, swearing nothing had happened, but something had, he wasn't sure what he felt now. He said the time he had been spending with Laurel felt like his time with Felicity, effortless, and he was confused. He apologized, said he loved her, and he wasn't ending things – he was confused. He begged her to give him time to work it out, he thought once his moms trial was over he'd be more clear minded.
She just sat there and listened as all her worries before they became an item came back to slap her in the face. Shock, was what she felt she was in shock – not even a tear was shed. "I asked you to be sure, I gave you an out. You swore to me this wouldn't happen," was all she could say.
All he could do was tell her how sorry he was, how much he still loved her. But she wasn't interested in sharing his love with another woman, she deserved to be the only woman, she deserved better. That is exactly what she told him before walking out of his office and taking the seat at her desk.
She wasted no time informing HR they would need to find her a replacement as soon as possible. After that she began working on her resignation letter, giving the customary two weeks, forwarding it to HR, knowing they'd send it to Oliver. Once that was done she took out her tablet and brushed up her resume. She took the list of companies who displayed interest in her when she graduated from MIT and started sending out inquiries.
It took two days for Oliver to get her resignation and to say he was unhappy was an understatement. Calling her into his office he asked her why she was doing this, why would she hurt him this way? She didn't bother to answer, she just reminded him of his lunch meeting with and walked out. She knew she made the right decision when she realized he wasn't going to fight for her. Instead of trying to make things right, he said she was being selfish, and she was. It was her right to be, she had no one to take care of her, she had to take care of herself. He knew she had little to no family, he knew she was an only child and her parents died in an accident right after she graduated college.
She told Digg and Sarah about her plans, they both supported her but were openly hostile to Oliver. She begged them to leave him alone and not to take it out on him, she didn't want to be the reason he lost anyone else. Secretly, she showed Sarah how to use her program so that she could run the necessary checks when she was no longer around. Oliver knew she was leaving QC, but she was sure he thought she'd continue being part of team Arrow. A part of her felt guilty for leaving, but she had to.
It was towards the end of her second week that she received a job offer from Wayne Enterprises, it was a generous offer, she would be leading the IT team at the Wayne Industries division of the company. It was by far the best offer, but also the furthest. Wayne Enterprises was a good forty minute drive, she'd have to move eventually, but for the first couple months she'd deal with the commute. Things were looking up she told herself, she'd be in an important position at a company that was putting out ground breaking technology. Now she just had to tell Oliver that her replacement would start next Monday and that she'd be leaving Arrow behind as well.
She walked into his office not bothering to announce her visit, and very calmly explained to him about his new assistant. When she told him she had been training Sarah and Digg to use her system, so that they could get by without her is when he lost it. He told her he was disappointed in her, that she was running away from her problems instead of taking them head on.
All she could do was stand there as he let his anger out, and when he finished she could feel the first tear since everything blew up, slowly trickle down her face. "I warned you, I told you this would happen but you didn't listen. I can't be here anymore, it's killing me... and as much as I love you, I have to love myself more. I'm sorry Oliver, I hope you find what you're looking for and I hope it's enough for you, I obviously wasn't." Those were the last words she said to him.
The next day was her last and Oliver avoided her like the plague. She noticed that he cancelled all his appointments, and when lunch time rolled around, there was Laurel getting off the elevator to meet him. She gave Felicity a small smile before letting herself into Olivers office, a few minutes later they were walking out together. She assumed he wasn't returning which is why he cleared his schedule and it hurt. She wondered if he did it on purpose to punish her, a part of her was sure he did. She waited two hours to see if he'd be back from lunch, but at 2:05 she turned off her system, gathered her things and said goodbye to QC.
That's how she found herself working at Wayne, as a department head. She never got to use her skills at QC like she did here. Her team respected her, as well as the managers from all the other divisions. But most importantly, Lucius Fox, the CEO always showed her great respect and appreciation. Not only was she taking care of Wayne Industries, but recently she has been involved in helping their Electronics division. On a professional level she was happy and fulfilled.
Today, though, she could feel her past creep up on her. After a meeting with Lucius, who informed her that he needed her to attend a Charity Gala since many of their investors and board member would be in attendance, so that she could share her progress on her current project. He said that he was sure if the investor heard the specs from her, they wouldn't be able to turn him down when he asked for more money. He also told her that being present would only help her career, seeing as only those in attendance were involved in the most cutting edge technology.
Felicity agreed to attend and thanked him, before scurrying out. She told her assistant that she had to leave early in order to find a suitable dress for the occasion, which was a lie. She had a dress already in her closet that she never wore, she bought it for the Save the Glades Gala, she was was supposed to attend with Oliver, but they didn't last that long. Instead she went home to the apartment she didn't have the heart to let go of and cried.
It had been three months since she last saw Oliver, three months since she spoke to him. He never tried to contact her, he just let her go. She kept in touch with Sarah and Digg, but they never mentioned Oliver and she made sure not to bring him up.
That didn't mean it hurt less, she missed him everyday. For the first month she was absolutely miserable, drowning herself in work so she wouldn't have to think about him. She had packed up the few things he left behind and shipped it to Verdant. She could have given it to Digg or Sarah but she didn't want to tarnish those relationships more than she already had. It was well into her second month at Wayne that she overheard some people talking about Moira Queen's trial having to be retried. She had managed to keep away from news and gossip magazine not wanting to see Oliver and Laurel together, but after hearing about the trail she ran to her computer to google it. Apparently, Oliver and Laurel's lunch dates didn't go unnoticed and Laurel was thrown off the case, as was the plea bargain she'd arranged. Even though Moira was trying her hand at a trial, chances were she'd get life instead of death but now that it looked like the Queen family was involved in making the plea happen, it didn't look good for her. She felt for Oliver and Thea, she couldn't imagine what they were going through. She may have lost her parents but it was unexpected, she didn't have to watch as they got dragged through the dirt. She thought about reaching out to Oliver but she knew he wouldn't appreciate it, he would see it as her calling to say 'told you so.' She wished he would have listened to her but there was nothing she could do for him, Thea on the other hand was a different story. She reached out to the teen and got as much information as she could from her, she needed to know exactly what the DA had on her mom. After a tense lunch, in which Thea expressed her displeasure with the way Oliver handled their relationship and his inevitable reconciliation with Laurel. Felicity had no idea they were officially together until that moment, when Thea realized her mistake she felt horrible. Felicity assured her it was okay that she knew it was coming. Thea told her that it didn't happen immediately, it wasn't for about a month after she left that they rekindled their relationship. Thea also informed her that Oliver was miserable, even with Laurel. She said he never brought her to the house, Thea told him she was not welcomed there. A part of Felicity felt vindicated that no one else supported Oliver and Laurel's relationship, but a larger part felt for him. They may have ended things but she still loved him and wanted him to be happy. She just hoped that one day she, herself, could be happy.
After her meeting with Thea, she went home and hacked into the computer of D.A, Adam Donner. Once she had a copy of the evidence compiled against Moira, she went ahead and destroyed what she could. The e-mails they had recovered were not major, she saw that he had put a request for a computer forensic scientist, to retrieve the encrypted e-mails. It took her minutes to decrypt and permanently delete the e-mails, she replaced them with fake e-mails that made Moira look more like a victim. After messing with the e-mails, she uploaded a trojan to his work and home computer, as well as sending one to his phone. She knew when the forensic scientist broke through the encryption, he'd never know she was there. After that she looked into each and every juror to make sure, there was no conflict of interest. She found that one of the jurors spouse was a relative of an employee of the DA's office. She sent the information to the judge, stating that the juror should be released from his duty. She made the e-mail look like it was sent from another juror, anonymously, who was concerned about justice being served.
A week later, Thea showed up at her door, holding a bottle a wine and a carton of ice cream. "I know it was you," she said, slipping in past Felicity. It was the first time Thea had been to her apartment but she made herself right at home. "What are you talking about," Felicity asked, taking out two glasses.
"Laurel told Ollie, that something seemed off with the e-mails they collected and that Adams notes were erased from his computer. She suspected Ollie hired someone to do it, but he convinced her otherwise. I didn't think anything of it at first, I was happy the evidence wasn't what they were expecting, but then the judge threw a juror out after receiving an anonymous e-mail stating he had a connection to the D.A. He tore Donner a new one, stating that another incident like that would get the case dismissed. After that happened I knew it was you, that's why you drilled me at lunch the other day." Felicity tried to play it off but she knew Thea wasn't buying it. "I told Ollie that it was you and about our lunch date. He needed to know what he lost by being a prick, Felicity."
They kept to safer subjects after that but it felt good to make Thea smile, she just hoped the Queen family could come out of this with as little damage as possible.
Felicity walked to her closet and took out the gown she had spent way too much of her money on, but fell in love with. It was a Badgley Mischka, dark emerald sequin dress that was such a dark green it was almost an iron tone, with a boat neckline and a plunging V in the back, it was fitted with a black belt at the waist and a mermaid bottom. She was originally looking for something red when she bought it, but this dress just called to her. The fact that it was dark green made her laugh at the time, now she hoped that it would look more gray when she had it on. She knew she'd run into Oliver at this event. There was no way that the CEO of Queen Consolidated would miss such an important function.
The night of the event came much faster than anticipated. Felicity was rushing to finish curling her hair, so she could get her dress and shoes on. The company was sending a car to pick her up and it was scheduled to be here in ten minutes. Her rush did nothing to ease her nerves, she still wasn't ready to see Oliver after three months apart. Throwing on her shoes and slipping into her dress, she rushed downstairs to wait for the car in the lobby of her building. The only upside to tonight was that she knew Thea would be there too. She had spoken to the teen yesterday, listening to her moan and groan about having to go, then screaming in excitement when Felicity informed her she'd be there too. Seeing the car pull up she rushed out of the building and into the warmth of the sedan.
The event was held at the museum of sciences, it looked incredible. Felicity couldn't help the awe she felt, every room was beautiful. Instead of trying to mask the fact that this was a science museum, the décor only enhanced it. None of the exhibitions were removed, they were left alone for peoples enjoyment. Composing herself she looked around the room for her boss, walking over when she spotted him.
He was in conversation with another gentleman, she didn't want to be rude and interrupt but she was instructed to find him when she arrived .
"Excuse me," giving him a small smile, "I'm sorry to interrupt you," she began saying.
"Nonsense," Lucius said, cutting her off. "You arrived just in time. Allow me to introduce you to the true head of the company, Bruce Wayne."
The man with Lucius gave her a once over and broke out into a smile. She had heard plenty about the illusive , had seen him in tabloids, but it was the first time she was meeting him in person.
Stretching out her hand to him, "It's a pleasure to meet you sir," she managed to get out without rambling. Bruce Wayne was a very good looking man and he knew it.
She could feel herself blush when he grasped her hand to shake it, his thumb caressing her skin.
"Likewise, Ms. Smoak. Lucius, here has been singing your praises, says you're the brightest mind in all of Wayne Enterprises."
Shocked and flattered at his words, she couldn't help but to give a big smile. "Thank you, that's the nicest thing anyone has ever said."
Lucius grabbed a glass of champagne from a waiter and handed it to her. "A toast, if I may. Welcome, , I hope in time you'll see us like family as we change the world together."
"Cheers," they said touching their glasses together. Both Lucius and Bruce were giving her looks she couldn't quite understand. It was as if they had a secret conversation.
"Felicity, may I call you Felicity?" Bruce Wayne asked her.
"Of .. of course, you're my boss... I mean you can call Felicity, not because you're my boss but because I prefer it" She stammered, cursing herself in her head.
Bruce laughed at her rant and continued like nothing happened. "Well, Felicity," he said her name in almost a whisper. She noticed Lucius looked entertained. "If I may ask, you said earlier what Lucius said about was the best compliment you've ever had, but obviously you are a very beautiful woman. I'm sure that has been remarked on many times."
She wasn't sure if he was flirting with her, mocking her, or if he was just plain curious. She wished she had worn her glasses now, it would give her a reason to fidget. "Was that an actual question?" She asked, still confused as to where he was going with this.
"You're right, I should have been more clear. Allow me to say that you are a very beautiful woman, if you haven't been told so before then let me be the first."
She couldn't believe he was flirting with her, if she wasn't so nervous or heart broken she'd be ecstatic. But the man before her was another billionaire playboy and one of those in a lifetime was enough for her.
"You're not the first to tell me that, and while I'm flattered it doesn't hold much importance to me. You can't control what you look like, I mean sure you can enhance or hide things with makeup, but at the end of the day you look the way you look. Being told that I am one of the brightest minds, in a field dominated by men, whom most don't feel I belong in their club, is the greatest compliment I've received. It means my dedication, hard work, and passion is obvious through my work. So commenting on my mind will always overpass any opinion based on my looks." She said, knowing she just told off the head of her company and not caring.
"My apologies, Felicity. It was not my intention to offend you, I find both your mind and your appearance quite appealing."
Felicity mustered a small smile and excused herself, she needed another glass of champagne. As she was walking away, she heard Lucius say "I think she'll work quite well." she wasn't sure what he meant but she wasn't going to worry about it now.
Felicity was trying to find a server to grab another glass of champagne, when she spotted Thea walking in the room. She noticed her looking around and walked up to her.
"Thank god you found me this is so boring," the teen complained.
"Where's Roy?" she asked wondered if Thea had come alone.
Rolling her eyes at the mention of her boyfriend, "he didn't want to come. So I got a ride with Ollie and his trampy girlfriend."
"Thea!" Felicity scolded, "don't say things like that especially here, where people may hear you and tomorrow it'll be in the papers."
"Like I care," shrugging her shoulders, "she knows how I feel about her. I made sure of it in the car."
Felicity sighed, she spotted a server coming towards them and grabbed two glasses from him handing one to Thea. "You didn't get it from me," she whispered.
"Please, they don't ID here. By the way, you look amazing that dress was made for you."
Felicity looked down at her dress a soft smile on her face, "thanks." She saw Thea's face turn angry and turned to see what she was looking at. Coming towards them were Oliver and Laurel, neither of which looked happy. Turning back around she took a deep breath a downed the rest of her drink. "Take it easy there, slugger." Thea said, the concern evident on her face.
"Maybe I should just go-" Thea interrupted her before she could finish, "you need to do this. For you. You have to face him and either win his ass back after making him pay, which is what I vote for or to at least show him you don't need him and move on."
Felicity wondered when the eighteen year-old became so wise. Knowing she was right she plastered a smile on her face a squared her shoulders.
"Thea, I've been looking for you," she heard Olivers voice as he approached. She didn't know if he knew who Thea was talking to but the sound of his voice made her gut twist.
Thea gave him a mocking smile, "sorry, I just ran into Felicity and we were catching up."
Turning to face him she gave him a small smile, "Hi Oliver," she said turning to his date, "nice to see you again Laurel." Laurel mustered up a fake smile but didn't return the sentiment.
Thea, taking advantage of Laurel's discomfort and wanting to rub salt in the wound. "Laurel, you remember Felicity, she was his girlfriend for like almost a year. The longest he's ever been in a relationship without cheating."
"Thea!" Oliver and Felicity scolded at the same time.
Giving them both an innocent look, "what? It's the truth though, geez you guys are touchy, sorry." She said, obviously not meaning it.
Oliver looked over at Felicity, she noticed he gave her a once over and realized he recognized the dress. He should, after all she modeled it for him.
"It's nice to see you again, Felicity." She could hear the strain in his voice, noting he was not in face happy to see her.
"You too," she replied lamely. She looked over to Laurel who seemed to have checked out of the conversation, instead was looking around the room.
She was about to excuse herself when she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. Before she could turn to see who was touching her and why they were getting such a negative reaction from Oliver, the man worked his way into the circle.
"Queen, nice to see you again," Bruce Wayne said jovially then turning his attention to Thea. "Thea Queen, a baby no more, lovely to see you again. Last time we meet I think you were about ten years old, now look at what a lovely woman you've become."
She could see that Thea was putty in his hands, giving him a big smile. "Thank you."
"Miss Lance, always a pleasure," he said shaking Laurels hand and emitting the first real smile from her.
"If you will all excuse me, I need to steal Felicity. A few of our investors want to hear her talk about her new project."
"You're working at Wayne?" Oliver asked before she got pulled away.
Bruce looked from Felicity to Oliver, "I'm sorry, I thought he knew." She didn't understand why he said in that way, making it seem there was more to it than just work.
"It's okay, Oliver and I haven't talked since I left. We both have been so busy I didn't get a chance to tell him but it's not a secret." She gave everyone a small smile, "If you would excuse me, I have to work. It was nice seeing you all, again."
Thea gave her a quick hug and promised to call her in the upcoming week. As she walked away with Bruce, she overheard Oliver asking Thea if she knew about her employment with Wayne.
It was a long night, she explained her work to so many people, so many different times that she was sure she'd be dreaming of it. She was looking forward to a weekend of sitting in bed and watching TV. She didn't speak to Oliver or Thea the rest of the night, they much like herself spent the night working, trying to get new investors. But they were in her line of sight a few times and at times she swore she could feel Olivers stare. At one point they made eye contact but before she could look away she caught Laurel giving her a dirty look. Perhaps she was reading too much into it. What could Laurel have against her? After all, she and Oliver were over when Felicity started dating him and she was the one that managed to take him right back. She saw them one last time when they were leaving, she was still talking to investors and was there for another hour before she was able to go home. Lucius and Bruce thanked her for her help and saw her off.
She walked into her apartment and toed off her shoes at the door, she'd put them away tomorrow. She grabbed her phone and placed an order for pizza, though it was a little late to eat she was starving. She walked to her room to remove her dress and makeup, looking forward to sitting on her couch with pizza and ice cream. Watching this weeks Scandal was sure to take her mind off of Oliver. She was in the bathroom cleaning her face when she heard her door open. Positive that she locked it when she came in, she turned off the faucet and cracked open the bathroom door, hoping to see something she could protect herself with, she saw a figure standing in her room. One that was very familiar to her, one she thought she would never see again inside her room, and she got mad.
Opening the door, "what are you doing here and how did you get in?" She asked arms crossed not moving from the doorway.
Oliver turned to look at Felicity, he knew he shouldn't have come but he was so livid that she was working for Wayne. He was even more angry that she kept in touch with his sister, Diggle, and even Sarah but to hell with him.
"I found it interesting that you're working for Wayne and by the looks of things you two are awfully comfortable with each other. Is that how you landed such a high position? Thea told me in the car that you're the head of your department."
She was dumbfounded at first at his accusations, how cold he think that of her? But she went from shocked, to sad, to royally pissed off in seconds.
"Who do you think you are, breaking into my house as if you have any right to be here. You lost that right when you lied to me and played with my emotions, you lost that right when you turned your back on me and returned to Laurel. How dare you accuse me of sleeping with Bruce Wayne, who isn't even my boss, you dumb ass. He may be the majority holder of Wayne, but I hadn't met him until tonight. As for you coming here demanding answers, this will be the only and last time. Next time you break in I will call the police, I am not your secretary anymore, you do not tell me what to do with my life or where to work. As for my position, which I am extremely qualified for was offered to me by Lucius Fox, CEO. For the first time in years I am putting my skills to use somewhere I am appreciated, instead of being your glorified assistant and secret girlfriend. But that worked for you in the end didn't it, you got exactly what you wanted. Well I hope it doesn't come back to bite you in the ass, again, for the hundredth time" She didn't realize she had been yelling or the fact that she had moved away from the bathroom and straight into Olivers space. She took a deep breath and stepped back, "Please leave."
Oliver looked contrite, he knew he fucked up the seconds the words were out of his mouth. "No, I'm not leaving. If you want to be head of a department then you can do so at Queen, it needs you. And I didn't break in, you gave me a key, remember?"
"I am not going back to Queen," she said holding out her hand, "give me my key and get out."
Oliver sat down on her bed defeated, "I'm sorry for what I said, I didn't mean it. I was just so angry that you left me and that your working at Wayne. I didn't believe you'd leave for real, I thought we'd work out our differences. I need you, Queen needs you, Arrow needs you. Nothing in my life is right if you're not there. Please, Felicity, come back."
She wanted to, she wouldn't deny that but she wanted to do it for him because even after all the pain she went through, she still loved him. "I can't. I told you this from the very beginning Oliver, I told you not to play with my emotions and you swore you wouldn't. Things can never go back to how they were, never. Because at the end of the day I loved you more than anything, and you barely loved me at all. So I will be staying at Wayne and away from you and one day I'm going to meet a man who will love me back."
"I did love you, I asked you for space. I never ended things, I asked for time, I was confused but you walked away." He yelled, springing up from her bed. "So what was I left with? You ran out of my life the moment things got hard, so don't put this just on me."
She couldn't believe he wasn't taking any of the blame and putting solely on her shoulders. "That is the biggest bullshit to ever come out of your mouth and you know it. I offered my help every step of the way, I told you not to see Laurel, I told you it would hinder your mother's case. I offered to look into it and try to help but you refused, you decided to trust Laurel and where did that get you? You may have been confused but you checked out of our relationship a month before it ended. I know you were seeing Laurel at night and I know it had nothing to do with your mom. Even if nothing happened, sitting down and have a glass of wine with your ex taking a trip down memory lane, while your current girlfriend is worried about you because you won't answer her calls is pretty shitty if you ask me." She could see the surprise on his face at what she revealed, she was thankful Sarah had the heart to tell her. "I watched you for a month fall back into the Laurel trap and I wasn't the only one. So you got the girl you wanted but you lost your source of information, you can't have it all."
"Nothing happened, ever. We didn't even start dating until a couple months ago, she knew I was with you. I don't know how you know the things you do, but it meant nothing.."
"at the time," Felicity finished for him, "but it means something now. When I left you didn't fight for me, you never showed me that I was who you wanted. I'm not perfect Oliver, but I deserve someone who thinks I am. I deserve someone who is going to love me first and you're not that person. I hope Laurel makes you happy, I really do because you deserve it. The only way I'm going to ever find that is away from you, I can't move on if you're always around."
He crowded her, looking down at her, the regret was written plainly on his face. "Maybe, I don't want you to move on."
Taking a couple steps back, refusing to allow him to draw her back. "I know you don't, you need that safety blanket, like you had with Laurel when you were with me. But I am not going to be that for you, If it's me than it has to be only me. Good luck ever convincing me of that, I think it's just too little too late." She said wiping the tears off her face."
"Then why help my mother, I know you hacked the DA. Why help me if you want to move on?" He asked, trying to hold onto something.
"Thea, she needs her mom, she's lost so much and your mom doesn't deserve to pay for Malcolms crimes. When I heard about the retrial and the plea being taken off the table I had to do something. I hope it works and she's freed, for you and for Thea, you all need each other."
"Laurel thinks you did it, hack the D.A. She remembered me saying something about you being a computer whiz, she thought I put you up to it. I told her it wasn't you, told her you hated me. But she's convinced you're guilty and she wants justice."
Felicity scoffed at that, she may have not known Laurel personally, but she knew enough about her to know this was about Oliver. "She doesn't care about justice, she wants to nail my ass to the wall because I did the one thing she couldn't. Don't worry about me, it's gonna take more skill than Laurel or any other computer geek out there has to figure it out. I have a fail safe in place, it won't ever lead back to me, but lets say they were to get someone who could break through all of my codes, it'll lead to someone... just not me." She said with a small smile and she knew that he figured out that she set up Laurel to take the fall were she to try to take her down. That was, if they could find someone good enough to get that far and she highly doubted they could, the only person she knew of with the skill besides herself would never work for the government.
"I think it's time for you to go, Oliver."
He looked at her one more time, hoping she'd give in. "Is there even the slightest chance?"
"The fact that you're in a relationship and trying to get me back doesn't bode well for you. You need to be a better man, you need to be the man I know you can be. I don't know if things will ever work out, I don't know if I have it in me to forgive you. But I do know that you don't know what you want and that's no where near good enough for me."
He stepped away from her, resigned to leave. "Bruce is not a good guy, stay weary of him, he'll only break your heart more."
"My only interest in Bruce is his Technology division," she assured.
Oliver pulled the key off of his key ring and handed it back to her. "I know what I want, I just have to find a way to show you and I will."
She watched him go, upset that her relaxing night was now ruined. She locked the door and looked down at the key he gave her, it was the wrong one.
So this was originally supposed to be a short one-shot, but things got away from me. For right now this is a stand alone, though I do want to write one from Olivers POV, and then possibly one more final installment.
Enjoy!