As Oliver stirred in his bed that night, as he had done nearly every night since that day, he was haunted by the same nightmare.
'This is all Alex's idea. We need to show the people that you're not backing down.' Thea explained as they made their way through the crowd at the tree lighting ceremony. "All you have to do is flick a switch and make a speech. That's all.' Alex agreed. "That's it?" questioned Oliver. Alex nodded. Oliver turned to Felicity and looked lovingly into her eyes. "We'll be here waiting for you when you're done," she told him, he placed a kissed on her cheek. As he pulled away, a cheeky grin spread across his ruggedly handsome face. "You're coming with me," he said as he lead a confused Felicity to the stage.
Applause rose from the crowd. "Oh, please, hey. Oh. Thank you. Thank you, everyone." He greeted them. As the applause quietened down, he began his speech. "This week, an event just like this was interrupted by terrorists. But all of us are here tonight to send those people a very simple message. We're no going to let the darkness win. So all of us are here to light a candle, together. United." And with that, he flicked the switch, brightening the bay side. Applause arose again. "This, right here, is all possible because of all of you and I am grateful for each one of you." This was it. Oliver had faced Mirakuru soldiers, the league of assassins and countless criminals. But nothing compared to how nervous he felt in that moment. "There is one person in particular that I am grateful for." He stated. Oliver turned to face Felicity. She looked surprised and pointed to herself in the most adorable way. A way that only Felicity could. "You." Oliver smiled. "Someone that has stood beside me when times darkest, she is the one who lights my way."
He stepped around, in front of Felicity, got down on one knee and said "Felicity Smoak" She giggled and placed her hands over her mouth, in shock. "Would you make me the happiest man on the face of the earth?" He asked as he pulled out the sparkliest diamond Felicity had ever seen. She nodded. "Yes?" Oliver questioned. "Yes." She reassured him, kneeling down to kiss him. Applause thundered around them but she was the only one that mattered in that moment. They kissed passionately, happiness and excitement rushed between them. He slid the ring on and smiled at her. They stood up and he led her over to the limousine waiting for them. He opened her door for her, before walking around to the other side and joining her in the back seat. The car pulled away "It looks even bigger in here." Felicity admitted, admiring the ring in front of her. She sighed. "You know, to tell you the truth, I don't even care about the bling. All I care about is you." The two kissed tenderly.
All of a sudden the limousine came to a halt, with a jolt. Something wasn't right, there were no lights to stop at. "What's going on?" Oliver asked the driver but before the driver could answer Oliver could see mercenaries jumping out of cars surrounding them. Dahrk's mercenaries. They lifted up their assault rifles and fired relentlessly into the limousine. Oliver shielded Felicity from the hail of bullets. It went on for what felt like an eternity. Out of the corner of Oliver's eye, he saw the driver slump into the chair beside him. He knew he had to get them out of there. He carefully crawled into the driver's seat, pressing the gas down to the floor ad got them the hell out of there. He drove east a few blocks before checking mirrors to ensure they were not followed. The coast was clear so Oliver stopped the limousine. He jumped out and ran to the back of the car. "Felicity." He shouted, nearly pulling the door off of the hinges. "No. Felicity, no. Come on, stay with me." he repeated as pulled her from the car. He cradled her, in his arms, on the floor. He pulled out his phone and dialed 911. "This is Mayor Queen, I have been attacked and require immediate medical assistance. Please hurry." He dropped the phone and just held her. "Hang on Felicity. They're coming." He whispered in her ear, reassuring both her and himself. "Open your eyes, Felicity. Open your eyes." He pleaded, tears streaming down his face.
He could hear the sirens drawing nearer and it wasn't long before they pulled up close to the shot up limousine. Armed cops and paramedics arrived cautiously. "Mayor Queen." Someone called out. "It's clear. Help me, help her. Please." He called over to them. The paramedics rushed over to them. "GSW to the abdo, query spinal injury." The paramedic stated as he examined her. "Let's get her to Starling General immediately." The carefully moved her from Oliver's lap onto the stretcher and into the back of an ambulance. "Mayor Queen, come with us." A cop gestured towards the back of one of the cars nearby. "We will escort you and the ambulance to Starling General. Give the paramedics space to work." Oliver agreed and jumped into the back of the car. "Let's go." He said and the cop cars and the ambulance pulled away from the scene. A few cops stayed behind to preserve the scene. They needed to prove that it was Dahrk. He pulled out his phone and called Diggle. Diggle answered the phone quickly but before he could say anything Oliver began. "Diggle, you need to meet me at Starling General. It's Felicity. She's been shot. It's bad. Make sure Thea and everyone else is safe first." Diggle told him he would be there soon and hung up the phone.