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That night…

After sitting down on the couch with a tub of mint-chocolate chip ice cream, Felicity heard a knock at her door. Opening up the door, she was surprised to find Tommy holding up a bottle of wine and a bouquet of yellow roses.

"Uh…um…hey. What are you doing here? …I mean…it's not like I'm not happy to see you 'cause I am really happy to see you," she babbled, "and I'm babbling."

He smiled, "I had a feeling you didn't want to be alone tonight. I brought wine."

As they walked to her couch, Felicity commented, "Thank god. I could really use that right now. Did you know Oliver owes me a bottle of wine?"

He gave her a confused look.

"Before I know he was the vigilante, Oliver came to my office and asked me to decrypt a flash drive. He gave me a stupid excuse about it being a part of a scavenger hunt, and the prize was a bottle of expensive wine," she explained.

Tommy's laugh echoed throughout the small apartment.

For the rest of the night, they told each other funny stories about Oliver Queen, with Doctor Who playing in the background. Little did they know, Oliver was watching them from the window.

"You know, sometimes I miss the old Oliver. The Ollie that would party with me…and would get totally wasted…The guy that was there for me, even when I didn't want him to be," an evidently tipsy Tommy confessed. "I'd much prefer him over the new one, a murderer and a liar."

Outside, Oliver attempted to swallow the lump in his throat.

"I don't know. I like this Oliver. He may be a liar," Felicity paused, "but he's also a hero. I don't know much about the island, but I do know that he went through hell to come back here…to you and Thea and Moira…By saving the city, he's amending his mistakes and fixing the city he left behind. He kills every once in a while, but only when he has too…I used to hate him for it too. Look, all I'm saying is: don't blame him."

By the end of her speech, both Felicity and Oliver were in tears.

Tommy smiled, "Now I know…Your love for him isn't just about him being a handsome, charming billionaire/vigilante, is it?"

"No," she whispered.

"It's loyalty," he realized.

"The truth? …I never got to know the old him. I only know the Oliver that is under the mask that he's made for the public. The new him isn't the same. He's angry, depressed, and…lonely, but he's also kind and compassionate…willing to risk himself for others. I've admired that side of him, ever since he barged into my office," she cries. "I am one of the few people who has seen this side of Oliver, and I'm just thankful that he trusts me this much to show me. I know my feelings aren't returned, but I'm ok with it."

Smiling, Oliver looks back on the day they first met. Neither Felicity, nor Tommy spoke as they gazed at the television screen in front of them. A few hours later, Felicity was dead to the world, curled up next to Tommy on the couch. Quietly, Tommy cleaned up the wine glasses that they had left on the coffee table, and carried her to her bed. Finally, he left her apartment, but not before leaving a kiss on her forehead.

Throughout the rest of the night, Oliver remained at her bedroom window, protecting her. Suddenly, Felicity began to kick and scream in her sleep, tears streaming down her face. Within seconds, Oliver had ran to her bed and held her as she continued to yell, "Oliver!" As he continued to hold her close to him, her screams turned to whimpers. Tears rolled down both of their faces. Finally, Felicity settled back into a dreamless sleep, though tears continued to fall from her eyes. Softly, he laid a kiss on her forehead, before he gently set her down on the bed. There next to her bed, Oliver stayed till the first signs of dawn were evident in the sky.

It was that night when both Tommy and Oliver vowed to protect the petite IT girl from everything that would block her path to happiness.