It started on the island; they always started on the island. He was running through the forest with less than his usual grace; stumbling over roots, bouncing from tree trunk to tree trunk. Always running, knowing that someone was behind him and if he stopped for only a moment he would be dead.

Running uphill the trees opened up to reveal the mercenary camp. This wasn't right, he should be nowhere near there, but dream topography never really made much sense. Pushing himself to his limits he ran down into the camp looking for a weapon, anything would do; a damn stick would be better than nothing. He felt naked without a weapon, for a moment he almost looked down thinking he probably was literally naked, it seemed like that sort of dream. Funny how even though you knew you were asleep it still didn't seem to stop the nightmare from running its course.

With no hood and no bow he felt exposed. How could he protect himself let alone save the city. No, that wasn't right he was on the island, not in Starling City, right? Gasping for breathe Oliver looked to his left where in real life he would have seen the towering mountains that surrounded Lian Yu but instead he could see Starling City's skyline. A low chuckle behind him made his skin crawl as he slowly turned around. He had stopped for too long and had been found.

The Dark Archer was standing ten feet behind him. Oliver noted his casual stance, bow at his side, arrows waiting in his quiver; but Oliver knew from experience how quickly Merlyn could spring from casual to deadly in a moment's notice.

Merlyn had never made an appearance in his island nightmares before; Oliver had never even met the man on the island. Although he guessed it made a change from Slade.

'Merlyn,' Oliver's voice was raspy from running, 'you're dead.'

Merlyn reached up and tapped his chest, in the exact same spot that Oliver kept his voice modulator/comlink in his Arrow costume.

'Guess again.' The voice wasn't Merlyn's; it wasn't even male.

Oliver frowned; the dream landscape of the island drew him to only one of two conclusions. 'Shado? Sara?'

The Dark Archer shook her head, 'You never put me first.' Reaching up she pulled the black hood off to reveal glasses and a blonde ponytail.

Oliver's breath stopped in his throat and a cold shiver ran down his spine. 'Felicity?' he whispered.

'Hello, love,' Felicity Smoak tilted her head to one side and pouted. 'Miss me?'

Oliver took two steps back in shock, 'No.'

Felicity frowned at him. 'No, missed me or no, you didn't?' she shook her head in mock exasperation. 'But the Arrow never misses, didn't I teach you better that that?'

'Teach me?' Oliver frowned at her words, 'You never taught me how to shoot.'

'Well true,' Felicity rested the butt of her bow on the toe of one boot and ran a hand over her forehead. 'But you wouldn't be who you are without me.' She gestured about the camp. 'Who do you think arranged all this?'

'What this?'

Felicity sighed, 'You really aren't that smart are you? The Gambit, this island, Slade, Ivo and his band of merry mercenaries. Everything, Oliver, everything that led to you becoming you.'

Oliver looked about the clearing, his mind racing; this had to be some sort of trick. 'That's not possible.'

Felicity rolled her eyes, 'Good thing you were so cute or I would have done this months ago. I needed a hunting dog, Oliver, someone to do my dirty work. So I looked around the office and found you.'

Oliver latched onto the inconsistencies of Felicity's words. 'We never even met until after I returned.'

Felicity rested her cheek against the top of her bow and sighed. 'Torture really messes with the mind doesn't it? Still, these things had to be done and look; I got my hunting dog out of it.' She straightened upright and began to idly run a gloved finger up and down the bowstring. 'It was so easy,' Felicity spoke quietly, almost as if she was talking to herself, 'give you a list of names, point you in the right direction and –' the twang of a flicked bowstring echoed across the clearing, '– all my problems solved.'

'Names,' Oliver swallowed at Felicity's words, 'my father's notebook –'

'Was mine, it contained my enemies, obstacles in my path, which you dutifully crossed off. All the while there I was sitting in the background; babbling Felicity Smoak, go-to girl for all things computers, quietly controlling everything.' Felicity's fingers stilled on the bow, 'Then you had to go and grow a conscience.'

'I did it for Tommy, I did it for you,' Oliver's hands clenched and unclenched. 'You wanted me to stop killing.'

Felicity laughed a little at Oliver's words, 'Is that what you remember?' Face turning serious she reached over her shoulder and plucked an arrow from the quiver. 'You left me with a problem, though.' Raising her bow Felicity fitted the arrow to the string and began to draw. 'What do you do when a hunting dog refuses to hunt?'

Oliver's entire existence narrowed to one point, it was as if the rest of the world disappeared. He watched as Felicity drew the string back to her cheek, noted how she narrowed one eye and took in a deep breath, then released. Oliver screamed Felicity's name as the arrow took him in the chest. Incredibly he didn't fall, just stood there stunned. Reaching up Oliver touched the shaft sticking out of his body, blood already beginning to run down his chest.

'It's probably for the best,' Felicity shot Oliver a second time, 'I always preferred Diggle over you. There is one last thing you can do for me.' She watched with indifference as Oliver slowly sang to his knees. 'Oliver,' she yelled, 'wake up!

~~~ A ~~~

As Oliver's eyes snapped open two things registered simultaneously, one was the cold metal he was lying on and the other was the face of the woman who had just killed him. With a guttural roar Oliver launched himself off the table and grabbed Felicity by the throat. Fingers tightening he pushed her backwards; past her monitors, past the cleared space where he and Diggle would spar, past the area where he maintained his weapons – a spot that Felicity jokingly called the man cave within the man cave. He kept pushing until Felicity's back hit a wall and he could go no further. Faintly he could hear someone yelling, but all his attention was on the woman in front of him.

She had betrayed him, after everything they had gone through together she had still betrayed him. 'Why?' he rasped at her.

'Oliver!'

There was that voice again. Oliver flicked his head to one side, trying to ignore it as his fingers tightened some more.

A ringing shot quickly followed by small shards of splintered concrete from the beam above him caused Oliver's head to whip around. Standing in a shooter's stance was John Diggle.

'You missed,' Oliver growled at him.

'That was a warning, but if you don't let go right now,' Dig's finger tightened on the trigger. 'The next shot won't miss.'

Eyes still on Diggle, Oliver slowly brought his breathing under control. It was only then that he noticed the small whimpering noises. Turning slowly he looked at Felicity. Eyes scrunched tight she was pressed hard against the wall, with her hands flat to the surface; almost as if she was trying to push herself through the hard wall to escape him. As the images of his nightmare slowly began to fade and the real world inserted itself Oliver eased his grip. 'Felicity,' he whispered.

Felicity's whimpering stopped. Feeling her swallow, Oliver snatched his hand away from her throat. What had he done? Glancing back at Diggle he saw his friend had relaxed somewhat but still held his gun out and pointing in their general direction.

'We good, man?' Dig asked, finally dropping his hands to his sides but keeping his Glock out, just in case.

Before he could answer Oliver heard Felicity hesitantly speak his name. He turned to see her looking at him, a hurt and confused expression on her face. Felicity reached up to feel her throat.

'Why?' he asked as he reached out to straighten her glasses, only to stop suddenly as Felicity flinched from his hand. Seeing her react like that made his chest tighten as he took two big steps back from her. 'Why would you do that?' His voice rose in anger, 'you know better than to touch me when I'm dreaming.'

'Because you called out her name, Oliver.' Diggle explained.

Felicity nodded in agreement to Dig's words.

'I could have hur –' Oliver noticed for the first time how red Felicity's throat was where his fingers had grabbed her. 'I hurt you,' he corrected himself.

'It's not your fault.' Felicity said.

'Then whose fault is it?!' Oliver snapped back. Shaking his head he began to back away. He couldn't be here right now, he was too dangerous. What was that expression Felicity liked to use when he pissed her off? 'I need some air,' he rasped, turning he brushed past Diggle and practically ran up the stairs to the empty nightclub above.

'Oliver!' Felicity called out after him.

Diggle reached out and grabbed Felicity's arm as she tried to go after Oliver. 'Leave him,' he said, 'he needs to get his head on straight.'

'But –'

'Hey,' Diggle shook Felicity gently, 'give him a minute and let me check you out first, okay?'

Felicity tried to dismiss his concerns. 'I'm fine.'

Diggle flicked the safety back on his Glock and tucked it back in its holster. 'Humour an old man then.'

Felicity turned from staring up the stairs to look at Dig. 'You're not old.'

Diggle smiled, 'Glad to see you've noticed. Now let's have a good look at you.' Gesturing towards better light John let Felicity walk in front of him.

Felicity looked over at her monitors as she stood next to the table that Oliver had been resting on, hard to believe that only a few minutes ago everything had been normal.

Diggle gestured for Felicity to raise her chin so he could assess any damage.

Swallowing Felicity lifted her head and took a deep breath as Dig gently felt her neck.

'Any trouble swallowing?' he asked her, ignoring the small tremors under his fingers. 'No, restrictions to your breathing?'

Felicity stared past Diggle's left ear as she shook her head. 'No, told you I was fine.'

Diggle dropped his hands to rest on Felicity's shoulders. 'Sure you are,' he stared at her intently until Felicity made eye contact with him. 'It wasn't him, it was the nightmare. You know that right? He'd never deliberately hurt you.'

Felicity nodded in agreement, 'I know,' her fingers rose briefly to touch her throat, 'now just try convincing him that.'

Diggle snorted in agreement, 'Yeah our boy does like to wallow in self recrimination. Still,' he looked towards the stairs then back at Felicity. 'Lucky for him we have Super GeekGirl to snap him out of it.'

Felicity looked a little surprised at Diggle's words, 'Super GeekGirl?'

Diggle smiled, 'All that's missing is the cape.'

'Well,' Felicity straightened her glasses, 'I am pretty super.'

'Only the best will do,' Diggle agreed with her. Giving Felicity's shoulders one last squeeze Dig dropped his hands to his sides and the pair of them turned to stare up the stairs.

'Think he's had long enough?' Felicity asked running nervous hands down her dress.

'I think give him any longer and he'll drink half the bar dry,' Diggle noted Felicity's gesture and reached out to rest a hand on her shoulder, once again doing his best not to react when she jumped in shock. 'If you want I could come with you.'

Felicity shook her head and squared her shoulders. 'Better if I go alone,' hesitantly she looked over at Diggle, 'don't you think?'

'Oliver'd probably be more open to talking if I'm not around,' Dig agreed, 'it's a guy thing.'

'Tell me about it,' Felicity complained, as she began to slowly walk towards the stairs. 'Sometimes I think you two only really communicate by hitting each other.'

Glad to hear Feisty Felicity was beginning to return Diggle waited until she was halfway up the stairs before calling out to her. 'If there is any trouble,' Dig tapped his holster when Felicity turned around. 'I'm just a shout away.'

Confused by the gesture Felicity frowned, 'I thought you were supposed to be Oliver's bodyguard?'

'I am,' Diggle smirked, 'I'm just worried you might hit him.'

Dig was rewarded with a big smile from Felicity before she turned and walked out into Verdant.