Thanks to all those that take to time to read and review my work. My recent story "Damage" was removed after an Internet Troll (dhh) reported me to Fanfic. Please let me know if you would like me to continue with it and I will re-post with changes under a different title with a different rating. Thanks for all your support x
Felicity rested her hands on her kitchen sink, lowering her head, exhausted. The weeks leading up to Slade's demise had been more draining than she had allowed herself to believe. Adrenaline still flowed freely through her veins making it incredibly difficult to sleep, so she found herself in her kitchen, dressed only in her pajama shorts and camisole, adorned with flour. She didn't even flinch as she heard the familiar scrape of leather upon leather as Oliver moved seamlessly across the apartment, pushing back his hood to hang loosely from his shoulders. Felicity didn't turn around she remained poised at the sink, fighting the tears that threatened to fall. As his moved towards her, the facade of the hood slipped away and Oliver rose to the surface. He stopped to survey the surroundings, taking note of the mess in the kitchen.
"Are you baking?"
Felicity let out a small groan of amusement. "Yeah, I couldn't sleep so baking seemed like the obvious alternative."
Oliver found himself breaking into a smile, it felt strange. He shrugged it off and unzipped his jacket resting himself down at one of the bar stools at the counter.
"So what are you baking?" Oliver inquired sticking his fingers into the sticky substance.
Felicity turned around, tears pooling in her eyes, "Cookies, When I'm stressed I bake cookies" She stood awkwardly playing with he cookie dough that had stuck to her fingers. Oliver stood up from behind the counter and moved possessively towards her, wrapping his leather clad arms around her. Felicity molded herself in to the gray t-shirt that the jacket had fallen open to reveal. He smelled of a comforting mixture of leather, sweat and what she thought was probably an extortionately expensive aftershave.
When Felicity pulled away, her eyes remained fixed on the floor, she gently shook her head trying to so hard to forget. She wanted so much to not relive the moment she thought she would die over and over again. When Slade had her down on her knees with a blade in his hand she was sure it was over; that was the moment, the moment when her world would fade to black. Her eyes had met Oliver's with a look that said it's OK I forgive you. Oliver knew exactly what she was trying to tell him, that was telling him to Choose Laurel, But somehow in a haze they had all made it out alive.
As she stood slumped in front of the only Man she knew she would ever truly love she realized that this was the first time they had spoken since that night.
Oliver narrowed the small distance between them lifting his finger to her chin and raising he eyes to meet his. "The way you looked at me. You were telling me to Choose Laurel" It was a question but ended up sounding more like a statement. Felicity nodded averting her gaze from his once again, knowing that by looking into his deep and soulful eyes that the tears she had been holding back would be sure to fall.
"I was trying to make the choice for you so you didn't have to"
Oliver stroked the side of her face with his thumb, moving a stray strand of hair behind her ear."There was never any choice to make"
Felicity found herself pressing her cheek into his hand absorbing the warmth it irradiated. "I know, I mean I know you didn't end up making a choice, but I .."
Realizing she was en route to another Felicity ramble she stopped and started to nervously fiddle again with the cookie dough between her fingers.
"That's not what I meant. Felicity I love Laurel, I would do anything to protect her, but I"
Fearing where the conversation was heading Felicity stepped away increasing the distance between them. She wiped the stray tear that had released itself, with the back of her hand "It's ok Oliver, you should go"
''No, I need to say this, Let me say this please"
Felicity's stance hardened, with her legs spread apart and her arms crossed, the pointed look on her face was enough to keep his eyes from straying to the brow of her cleavage that heaved heavily with emotion.
"I will always Love Sara and Laurel, they are part of who I was was before Lian yu, in a strange way they somehow kept me close to my father. Being with Sara was easy she had the same darkness, the darkness that consumed me on the island; I knew that I couldn't hurt her." Oliver paused collecting his thoughts. He moved towards her hoping to narrow the distance she had established between them. "Then I met you. You remind me of the man I want to be"
Felicity stance softened giving him the green light to continue. "Felicity, I have never met anyone like you. You remind me regularly that I have saved your life on several occasions, but the truth is you saved me. Your're a constant source of light in that Darkness that I brought back from Lian Yu."
Oliver placed his hand on the back her head "I've been so afraid for so long that I was going to dim that Light, so I tried to keep my distance but seeing you with Slade, I realized that I can't imagine my life without you Felicity Smoak."
"Oliver what are you trying to say?"
Oliver watched her chest rise and fall as the intensity of the moment caused a sob to catch in her throat. Allowing his guard down for the first time in his life he felt himself being led by a flutter of emotion that washed over him. He Pulled Felicity flush against his chest and pausing with his forehead against hers he whispered "I want you Felicity" before pressing his lips firmly against hers, for the first time in his life experiencing true happiness.