Three weeks. That's how long it had been since Oliver left Palmer Technologies, and Felicity, behind. He needed to focus on saving Starling and in order to do that, he had to stop thinking about Felicity. That's what Oliver kept telling himself, but his head and his heart hadn't been communicating lately. The more he tried to not think about her, the more he thought about her. While he was working out, he thought about how much she enjoyed watching him work out. When he was out patrolling, he missed hearing her voice through the comms. Diggle had a nice voice and all, but he just wasn't Felicity. So this is what a broken heart felt like?

Oliver had been hurt before, sure. When Tommy died, he wasn't sure he would be able to go on. He had even left for five months, but who had brought him back? Felicity. When his mother died, he wanted to disappear. He couldn't even attend her funeral, but who brought him back? Felicity. Laurel may have given him the pep talk when he woke up, but it was Felicity's voice in his mind calling him a hero that really brought him back. So, how did he come back when the one person he needed was who he needed to come back from?

Oliver had just gotten back to the foundry from patrolling when he heard the door from the side entrance close. He figured it was Roy or Diggle since the two of them hadn't said anything to him since he left to patrol a few hours earlier. It was nearing midnight and his night was far from over. He had gotten used to only getting about three hours of sleep every night because every time he closed his eyes, he saw blue eyes, blonde hair and red pens. He thought he could at least push his body far enough to get his mind to shut up so he could sleep, but he had been proven wrong about that in the last few weeks. No matter what he did, he couldn't get Felicity out of his head.

So, when he heard heels coming down the stairs, he thought the lack of sleep had finally caught up to him. They hadn't spoken since that night three weeks ago and he told Roy and Diggle he talked to Felicity and everything was fine. They raised their eyebrows at him when he said that, but when he followed it with "she quit the team", they quickly nodded and moved on. None of them had mentioned Felicity since. Oliver knew Diggle kept in contact with her because they were friends, and Roy probably did too, but they never talked about her around him. Oliver knew it was to keep from having awkward conversations, but not mentioning her felt awkward too. She was part of the team; the glue that held them together. Didn't they miss her as much as he did?

Oliver shook his head of his thoughts and turned away from the training dummy he was sparring with. It had quickly become his favorite way to pass the time when he felt the void Felicity had left the most, but he didn't know if that feeling ever really went away.

When he finally made his way towards the door, his breath caught in his throat. Standing in front of him was Felicity. For a second he thought he was dreaming, but when he saw the frown on her face, he knew this wasn't a dream. She was always smiling in his dreams.

She looked radiant. That was the second thing he noticed after her frown. She was wearing a dark green dress, her hair pulled up out of her face in a ponytail. He couldn't help but stand there and gaze at her. Was she trying to say something with wearing the same color dress as his arrow suit? No. Don't let yourself hope. His mind reminded him they were still very not together and she probably just thought Diggle was here still.

Oliver turned around and started making his way back to the training dummy. Without glancing back, even though he really wanted to, he said "Digg's not here. He was gone when I got back."

He started punching the practice dummy in the corner without waiting for a response. He figured she'd just turn around and leave and his heart could go back to its normal rhythm. The damn thing just couldn't control itself around her and his mind cursed it. He was throwing a right punch when her voice cut through the foundry for the first time since she arrived.

"I'm actually here to see you." He heard her say it confidently, but he knew her well enough to know the crack at the end was her losing her nerves.

He turned back towards her and saw she was now standing only four feet from him. When she was this close, he could smell her perfume, the fruity and elegant concoction he had missed. He went against all of his instincts that were screaming at him to just take her in his arms and never let go when he simply said "Oh. What do you need?"

Conceal, don't feel, his mind kept telling him. Why had he watched Frozen with baby Sara again? He cleared his throat and grabbed a towel sitting on the table next to him and wiped the sweat from training off of his face. He needed to do something to keep his hands from reaching out to her.

"I want to come back on the team." She said bluntly. Oliver could not have been more shocked. The towel fell from his hands and he was pretty sure his jaw had hit the ground. He composed himself, hoping she hadn't noticed but knowing she did, and swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Oh. Uh, what changed your mind?" He couldn't meet her eyes so he stared at his feet as he asked. Was it Diggle? Roy? No, he knew her better than that. She didn't do things unless she wanted to, so this had to have been her decision. Just like kissing Palmer. He scolded himself for thinking it and waited for her answer. He felt rather than saw her take a step forward. When she was around, his body was so in tune with her. If she talked, he knew it. If she moved, his body reacted.

He was still looking at his feet, so he wasn't sure what he was expecting her to say. Whatever it was, it definitely was not what she said.

"Well, I miss you. I mean, not just you, obviously. This whole thing." She motioned to the foundry when she said that, but she wasn't done. "I want to do some good in this city, just like you. I won't let you pushing me away keep me from that. I'm in this just as much as you and Digg and Roy. I may not be a physical threat like the two of you are, but I can hold my own. I can help, and that's what I want to do. Personal feelings aside, I want to be here."

He heard her take a deep breath, like she had practiced that a few times, and he smiled. Felicity was back.

He was just about to open his mouth and tell her she could do what she wanted, but he felt her take another step toward him, now barely out of his reach. He could see her feet in his vision now and her being that close almost overwhelmed him. They hadn't been this close in so long and he missed it. He missed her.

He pushed those feelings down as quickly as they had come up. She wasn't there to be with him or say she wasn't with Palmer. She was there to be back on the team. This was business, not personal. No matter how much he wanted it to be the latter, it wasn't.

He raised his head to look her in the eyes for the first time since she came into the foundry. She looked nervous, like she half expected him to say no. Did she really not know how much he needed her here?

He turned around without saying anything and headed towards the showers. When he reached the door to the bathroom, he said "Well, I guess I'll see you here tomorrow night, then." He couldn't hide the smile in his voice or on his face when the bathroom door closed behind him.

He may not be able to have her in the way he wanted, but he wanted her in his life in any way she would allow.

Things went back to normal over the next few weeks. Well… as normal as being in love with the woman who had broken your heart while still seeing her every day and working with her every single day could be. Yeah… completely normal.

It had been just another night of crime fighting. Oliver walked into the foundry and everyone was there. Diggle, Roy and Felicity. They were huddled around Felicity's computers, whispering. When they saw him, they immediately stopped talking. Oliver shot curious glances their way before putting up his bow and heading for the showers. If they wanted to tell him what was going on, they would. He wasn't going to pry.

After his shower, he expected all of them to still be there, but when he stepped out of the bathroom, the only person he saw was Felicity.

Well, this can't be good.

He walked over to Felicity, making sure to keep his distance like he always did, and said "Where did Diggle and Roy go?"

He watched as Felicity turned toward him with a strained smile on her face and said "Uh, they left already. They wanted to give us some alone time." When Oliver raised his eyebrow at her, Felicity visibly cringed at her words before continuing. "I mean… not that kind of alone time, but I need to talk to you about something and I didn't want them to be here."

Oliver tensed at her words, expecting the worse. Was she going to quit again? The thought scared him more than he was willing to admit. He was used to having her around again and he didn't want that to be over.

"Oh, it's nothing bad." Felicity said, and Oliver was pretty sure she saw him visibly relax. "I just… I wanted to talk about us. About what's happened between us."

"Oh." Oliver croaked out. He wasn't really sure what else to say. Where was she going with this? He was suddenly terrified. "Okay. What's up?" Yeah… He could do this. Keep it cool.

His next breath was shaky and he knew she heard it. Damn nerves. Why did she make him so nervous? Because you love her, idiot. Oliver shook his head and tried to give her a smile that didn't look like a grimace, failed, and just sat at the table by her computers. The fern she had given him looked like it needed some water, so he quickly watered it to keep himself from sprinting from the room.

When he turned his attention back towards Felicity, she had a warm smile on her face and Oliver allowed himself to relax. This was Felicity. No matter what it was, he could handle it. Unless she breaks your heart in two again.

"Okay." She started, cleared her throat, and took a deep breath. She's nervous too. Oliver gave her an encouraging smile, letting her know he was listening. "I just wanted to talk about what happened between us when Cupid was here. It seems like everything changed between us after that and I'm not sure why. Yeah, I know you can't be with me and that's fine, but we had established that when baby Sara was born. It had been weeks since then, and nothing had changed until Cupid came into town. After that, it was like you just shut down. You shut me out and pushed me away and I let you. I knew you were convinced you had to be alone, but the timing was weird. Then I realized that was also the first time I kissed Ray…" She trailed off, and he knew she was looking at him for a reaction.

He took a deep breath and rested his elbows on his knees before nodding. "Yeah, I saw the two of you at your office."

She gasped at his words and Oliver raised his eyes to look at her. She didn't look surprised like he had thought, but rather… sad.

"Oliver…" She started, but he wouldn't let her continue.

"It's fine. You moved on. I get it. I do have to be alone and I knew you couldn't wait for me forever. I guess part of me thought you would, but seeing the two of you reminded me that it would be selfish to make you wait for me, when I didn't even know if I'd ever be ready to be with you. I went to your office that night to… Well it doesn't matter. But I want you to be happy Felicity, and if you're happy with Ray, then I'm happy for you."

Oliver tried to get through that as fast as possible. He didn't want things to be weird and he did want her to be happy. He wanted her to be happy with him, but he knew Ray could make her happy in ways he never could. Ray wasn't dark and broken. Oliver was. Felicity deserved better than him.

He smiled at her and stood, thinking the conversation was over. He walked by her and she stopped him with a hand on his arm. The touch reminded him of the time in the Queen mansion when he told her he loved her for the first time. She had touched him then, too.

"Oliver, why did you come to the office that night?" She asked, hand still on his arm, and waited for his answer.

He shouldn't tell her. It would only complicate things. Does he tell her? He was always honest with Felicity. He wasn't going to change that now.

"I was going to tell you that I was wrong. Again." He chuckled, ran a nervous hand through his hair, and continued. "I was wrong when I told Cupid that I had to be alone. I was going to tell you how I felt, but then I saw you with Ray and… I don't know. I wanted you to be happy, Felicity. That will never change. You looked happy, so I left."

Felicity had tears in her eyes and as one ran down her cheek, Oliver caught it with his thumb and wiped it away. For a moment, they were all that existed in the world. When his eyes found hers, he forgot about all of the complications they had. He forgot about the fact that she was in a relationship with Palmer, that he should be alone so he doesn't get her killed, everything. His hand cupped her cheek and he closed his eyes. He didn't lean in; didn't want this moment to be over. He just stood there, holding everything that was dear to his heart in his hand, her hand burning his flesh where it still rested on his arm.

Then, it was over. He opened his eyes, smiled at her, and left without another word.

She deserved better. That thought was the only thing that kept him from turning around and covering her lips with his. He wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms all night, exploring her body in every way possible, but he couldn't.

She needed to be happy. They had only talked for a few minutes and he already had her in tears. His feelings were his to deal with. Not hers. He wouldn't allow himself to make her miserable, too.