Barry Allen liked and respected Oliver Queen, a fact he sometimes still found surprising. On paper, they didn't make sense as friends. Oliver grew up in wealth and privilege with two loving parents, while Barry was raised by a foster dad in much more modest circumstances. Oliver had dropped out of multiple colleges and, despite a brief stint as CEO of Queen Consolidated, had never really held down a job. Barry had gotten his bachelor's degree in three and a half years and was doggedly trying to earn respect as a forensic scientist with the Central City police department. Oliver walked into a room and women immediately began thinking up justifications for being unfaithful to their husbands. Barry walked into a room and women asked him if he was old enough to drink. They didn't appear to have a lot in common.

But if you peeled the outer layer off the onion that was their lives, they had similarities where it really mattered. Both had experienced tremendous hardship – hardship from which they had grown stronger, with a determination to help people. Both were supported by teams that were smart and loyal and not afraid to tell them when they had their heads up their asses. And, of course, both were maintaining secret identities. Barry had found early on that no one else could appreciate the complications of life behind a mask like another man who wore one. And Oliver had it particularly hard, because while The Flash was generally loved by the citizens of Central City, The Arrow often received mixed press in his hometown. Barry knew that Oliver risked his life solely on the conviction that he was doing good without expecting any gratitude. It was an admirable quality. And so despite their differences and Oliver's propensity for shooting arrows at him, Barry Allen liked and respected Oliver Queen. The man might be more stubborn than grass stains on white pants, but in the end he almost always did the right thing.

It never occurred to him that Oliver wouldn't tell Felicity about his son for exactly that reason – it was the right thing. After the do-over Barry had created by turning back time, he'd been certain that Oliver and Felicity would have a heart-to-heart when they returned to Star City following the battle with Vandal Savage. Those two had the kind of relationship that Barry hoped he would someday have; they supported each other, made decisions together, and clearly were very much in love. Even if Oliver had once held a misguided notion that he couldn't tell Felicity about William, Barry figured that the pig-headed idiot had seen the light when Barry revealed the consequences of not telling her – namely, Felicity leaving Oliver. That alone should have been enough to scare Oliver into getting it right after the reset button had been hit.

He got an inkling things hadn't worked out that way several weeks after Felicity and Oliver had been attacked. The communications he'd had with Oliver during those weeks had been almost nonexistent - Diggle had been the one to tell him about the shooting right after Felicity had been medevaced to Star City Hospital, and he had provided most of the updates on her condition since then. Oliver had been, in Diggle's words, "a real mess," sleeping at the hospital and running home only to shower and change. His mayoral campaign had been suspended, although the Green Arrow still made occasional appearances at night and seemed particularly focused on taking out Damien Darhk's Ghosts. It wasn't until Barry visited Felicity that he realized that she might be unaware of Oliver's son.

He went to see her a few days after she'd been released from the hospital. Felicity herself had called S.T.A.R. labs to tell the team she was home, nearly six weeks after the shooting. Barry's morning was shaping up to be pretty quiet – it was a Saturday and he hadn't been called to any crime scenes – so he decided to take a quick run to Star City for a visit. He was surprised when John Diggle's wife, Lyla, answered the door to the loft. He'd expected to see Oliver fussing over Felicity like a mother hen.

"Barry," Felicity's voice greeted him with a weak imitation of its usual energy. She was seated near the large windows overlooking the city, wearing a pair of pale blue pajamas with tiny penguins dotted over them. Her tablet was on the table next to her. "It's so good of you to come all this way – although, I suppose for you, it's really not far at all. I mean, 600 miles traveling at Mach whatever must get you here in…" She paused and Barry grinned as he sat next to her. It was good to hear her ramble, even if the ramble sounded a little frail. He sobered up, however, when her smile turned into a puzzled frown. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but I'm a little surprised you came today when you're supposed to be meeting up with Oliver." She glanced at the clock on the wall. "I guess you still have plenty of time to run back and catch him when he gets to Central City."

He blinked. Oliver was coming to Central City to see him? Had he missed that? Without thinking, he asked the question out loud – "Oliver's coming to see me?" - and could have kicked himself when he saw her reaction.

Her body began to tense up and she stared at him, her brow wrinkled in confusion and worry. "Yes, I'm pretty sure he said he was going to Central City today. He got up early to take the train. Something about talking to you about Darhk's ghosts." She turned to Lyla and said slowly, "I know I'm on all kinds of pain meds, but I don't think I imagined it. It's the first time since the…incident… that he's been willing to take any time away. I thought that was a good thing." She shifted stiffly in her seat, grimacing as she sat a little straighter. "So - he didn't call you?" she asked Barry.

Lyla put a hand on her shoulder and shot Barry a warning look. He understood instantly. The look said: No matter what you're thinking, say something to put her at ease. Now is not the time to cause her anxiety.

Barry did his best. He hoped his smile didn't look too fake when he said, "Oh my God, is today Saturday?" Felicity nodded. "Oh, Felicity, I completely forgot about Oliver," he lied. "Yes, he called me. Between new cases at CCPD and Flash…activities…I didn't realize it was the weekend already. It slipped my mind but it's not a problem. Like you said, I can get back to Central City in plenty of time." He glanced toward Lyla and she acknowledged his effort with a very subtle smile.

And he must have been a little bit convincing, because Felicity's anxious expression eased and the tautness left her body as she slumped back in her chair. She exhaled, "Okay…well, phew. I'm sorry to get all nervous on you, but Oliver hasn't exactly been himself lately. He's been pretty angry about…" she gestured at herself, plainly meaning her injuries. "And when Oliver and John are both out of sight I really worry about what the pair of them are up to. They think they can take on anything." She looked toward Lyla and the two women exchanged knowing glances.

"I don't think you need to worry today, Felicity," Lyla said gently. "John's at home with Sara and you know he wouldn't leave our daughter. It sounds like Oliver and Barry just got their wires crossed."

Well, one of us did anyway, Barry thought.

Felicity glanced between the two of them and seemed to buy it.

Barry, of course, knew better. There was someone else Oliver had reason to visit in Central City – someone he apparently hadn't mentioned to Felicity. It didn't take a PhD to figure out that Oliver had gone there to see his son. Dammit, why hadn't he told her? Now Barry was in the uncomfortable position of having to lie for him – and he really wasn't a good liar. He looked into Felicity's sincere blue eyes, hating himself for asking, "Did Oliver say what time we were meeting? I seem to have forgotten that, too."

She shook her head, "No, but he got the zero dark thirty train this morning, so my guess is he'll be there sometime around 11:00."

Barry looked at his watch – 10:30; plenty of time to get to Central City and talk to Oliver…no to confront Oliver. Barry didn't like Oliver's lie. It was stupid, especially considering the consequences the first time he had tried it. Ultimately, however, Barry knew this was between Oliver and Felicity and he had no right to interfere. What angered him – where he did have a right to be ticked off - was Oliver's decision to involve him in the deception. Without his agreement, Oliver was forcing him to sustain the lie or else hurt Felicity, one of his dearest friends. Oliver needed to know that he wouldn't stand for that.

He stood up. "Okay, then. Sorry to cut the visit short, Felicity, but I'd think I better run. I don't want to be late and I really want to make sure I catch up with Oliver. I'll come back soon, I promise." He bent down to give her a light kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks for coming, Barry."

Lyla walked him to the door. When they were out of earshot, she said quietly, "You're going to find out what he's up to? It's not like him to lie to Felicity."

Barry nodded. "I've already got a pretty good idea."

Barry's anger must have given him an extra burst of energy for his run back to Central City, because he made it in record time. When he arrived, he sent Oliver a brief text.

Since you told Felicity you were coming to see me, I suggest we make it the truth. Meet me at Jitters at 11:30.

He didn't have to wait long for a response.

I've already got plans, but I can see you around 4:00 before I catch the train home.

Barry gritted his teeth. The man always had to have things his way, even when he really didn't have a leg to stand on. It was one of his most annoying traits. He typed quickly.

Change your plans. I just covered for you with your girlfriend and I'm not happy about it. Don't make me regret it any more than I already do.

There was a lengthy pause.

Fine. 11:30.

When Oliver arrived at Jitters, Barry expected him to look a little bit sheepish. After all, he had put his friend in the uncomfortable position of being his cover story without asking first. As far as Barry was concerned, Oliver owed him one, and he was anticipating a reluctant but genuine apology. (Was there ever any apology from Oliver that wasn't reluctant?) Once they got that out of the way, they could talk about how to end this farce.

The man who walked in the door, however, actually had the balls to look angry and slightly indignant. He strode over to Barry's table, the familiar stubborn gleam in his eyes. "You can spare me the lecture, Barry," Oliver said without preamble, "I get that I put you in a difficult spot this morning. But I didn't know that you were planning to visit Felicity today. It won't happen again."

So much for an apology. Barry felt his own anger rekindling and he quickly snapped back, "Are you saying that if you'd known I was going to see Felicity, you would have warned me that I was your excuse for coming to Central City?" He shook his head. "You're missing the point, Oliver." Oliver's stubborn gleam turn into an outright glare, no doubt perfected from years of staring down Star City criminals. A young waitress picked that moment to approach the table for their order; she took one look at their expressions and made an abrupt about-face.

As she walked away, Oliver gave an exaggerated sigh. "Enlighten me, Barry. What exactly is the point?"

"The point is that you never told Felicity about your son. We talked about it when you left here a couple of months ago. I thought I was pretty clear about the consequences of you keeping it from her the first time – it ended your relationship. I can't believe you didn't tell her when you had a second chance, especially knowing what's at stake." Barry paused and tried to assume a more evenhanded tone, tried to make the conversation more reasonable. "Given how happy you are with her…well, I thought you'd want to do anything to protect your relationship," he said quietly.

Oliver was not mollified. "My relationship with Felicity is just that, Barry," he said tensely. "It's mine…my business. Not yours."

Barry leaned forward. "Normally I'd agree, Oliver, but you made it my business when you involved me in your lie." He shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "Do you know how crappy I felt having to sit there and feed her bullshit this morning, especially after all she's been through? She's one of the…truest…people I know. It was wrong on so many levels."

Oliver opened his mouth and then paused as Barry's words sunk in. For all his bluster, it was clear that Oliver felt no better than Barry about deceiving her. When he spoke, some of the edge was off his voice. "Look, I'm not exactly loaded with good options here, Barry," he said at last. "Samantha made not telling anyone a condition of being able to see William. Hell, he doesn't even know I'm his dad – as far as he's concerned, I'm just a friend of his mom's. I'm not happy about this either, but I don't know what I'm supposed to do - I feel like I'm being forced to choose between my son and my girlfriend."

"Fiancee."

"Fine, my Fiancee."

Barry shook his head, "I don't think that's the case, Oliver. I think you're overcomplicating this." He bit back the urge to add as you always do. Instead he said, "Felicity has proven for the last three years that she can keep your secrets, under some pretty tough circumstances. You can trust her not to tell anyone about your son - not even Digg, if that's what you want."

Oliver stared at Barry, the last of his anger receding. "I have no doubt that she can keep a secret," he said slowly, "But is it really the right thing – is it being fair to her? Think about what I'd be asking her to do. I'd be telling her that I have this whole other part of my life – a son – that she can't share in because I promised his mother that I wouldn't tell anyone." Oliver ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "That's gotta hurt. I'm afraid it could eventually come between us."

"So what's your alternative? Keep seeing him in secret until he's grown up? Oliver, this is going to come to light sometime or other. Felicity's not herself right now, but when she fully recovers she's going to figure out that something's up when you keep disappearing. And the longer you hide this from her, the worse it's going to be when she finds out. She'll think you don't trust her."

Oliver stared at his hands, tightly clasped on the table, for so long that Barry thought he wasn't going to respond. It was apparent that he'd run through these arguments many times in his head. "Yeah…I know you're right, Barry," he allowed at last. "And I will tell her. But… can we agree that now is not the right time? I mean, you saw her." He closed his eyes briefly. "For days I wasn't sure she was going to make it, and she's still pretty fragile. I just want her back to her old self…her real self…and then I can figure out how to talk to her about this." He looked up at Barry. "I can't lose her. With what we do," he gestured between the two of them, "sometimes I think she's the only thing that keeps me…me." His eyes grew thoughtful, and Barry felt a brief twinge of envy – a desire to have that same kind of connection with another person.

He looked at Oliver's worried eyes and said, "Okay. I agree now is not the time. But as soon as she's a little stronger, Oliver, you gotta tell her."

"I will."

Felicity's recovery from her injuries was uneven – a typical case of two steps forward and one step back. Some days she had more energy than others, some days the pain was severe enough to keep her creeping slowly about the loft. But over time, things progressed. Her voice regained its liveliness and her face lost its pallor. She went into work for half days, then started throwing in a few whole days. And eventually she began coming to the lair and resuming her role as mission control on the comms. The lift in Oliver's spirits paralleled her recovery perfectly.

Barry visited as often as he could while she recuperated. He sometimes felt the urge to laugh when he watched Oliver with Felicity. If only the criminals of Star City who were terrified of the Green Arrow could see him as he carried her up and down the stairs, fussed with her blankets, and helped her brush her thick, wavy hair. Once, when Oliver was in the kitchen preparing lunch, Felicity kicked off her slippers and cheerfully pointed to the toes that he had just painted a bright pink for her. Barry asked Diggle if he was ever tempted to tease Oliver about this nurturing, domestic aspect of his personality. Digg gave him a long look and replied that as a man who valued marital bliss, it was never a good idea to mock another guy for taking care of his partner. So Barry refrained from giving Oliver a hard time, despite being sorely tempted.

Unfortunately, with all that Oliver was doing for Felicity, it was apparent to Barry that there was one thing that he hadn't done – and that was tell her about his son. Initially, Barry understood. Oliver was right about the severity of her injuries and her need to focus on recovery. Every activity that she was able to resume – climbing the stairs, washing her hair, driving the car – was a victory the couple celebrated together. But as weeks passed and she was clearly regaining her strength, Barry began to wonder if Oliver had changed his mind about telling her. Any time the topic of Central City came up Oliver would flash him a dark look, and Barry knew that he had to say as little as possible. His visits became increasingly uncomfortable, and a few times he caught Felicity glancing between him and Oliver as if she were sensing a problem. Eventually, he found himself resenting Oliver and wanting to avoid Felicity.

It was during this time that Barry Allen discovered that lies have momentum; that once created, they keep moving and gaining energy. Lies built upon themselves like a snowball rolling down a long, white-blanketed slope, growing bigger and heavier with every revolution. You began with one lie to one person…and pretty soon there were two…and then four. This lie, for example, had started simply enough – he couldn't tell Felicity the real reason for Oliver's trips to Central City. But then his team at S.T.A.R labs began to notice that his behavior was off; he didn't want to ask The Arrow for help even when it was clearly needed, and conversations with Oliver were markedly terse. When Caitlin and Cisco questioned him about it...well, he had to lie to them, too. At some point it felt like every conversation with or about Team Arrow involved an untruth. Barry was used to keeping secrets from strangers and police department colleagues, but this was a whole different ballgame. He hated it.

It eventually came to a head; it had to, really, because Barry had gotten to the verge of either kicking Oliver's ass or telling Felicity himself. Both turned out to be unnecessary. Felicity, fully back to one hundred percent, took matters into her own hands.

They were in pursuit of a meta-human who had bolted from Central City to Star City. The guy wasn't as evil as many of the meta's they'd encountered, but his ability to alter local gravitational fields was inconvenient at best and dangerous at worst. So far he'd limited himself to floating a couple of buses and forcing a few expensive objects to drift his way, but Barry worried that he would start pulling down planes or toppling buildings as he fully explored his powers. He had to be stopped.

The plan was simple enough. Barry would use his speed to steady the gravitational field just long enough for Oliver to shoot the meta with a tranquilizer arrow. Once the guy was sedated, they could bring him back to Central City for evaluation and rehabilitation. Felicity was on the comms and the rest of Team Arrow had come along to help herd him to a contained location. Easy peasy. Or it should have been, anyway.

For some reason, he and Oliver just couldn't synch up on the timing. Either Oliver would shoot too soon and his arrow would float upward uselessly, or Barry would reach full speed a few milliseconds too early and the arrow would crash into the ground. It took them five tries before Oliver was able to land one in the meta's ass. Five freakin' tries. And by that point, he and Barry were speaking to each other in curt monosyllables. Barry wasn't sure if the rest of the team noticed the tension, but he was certain that Felicity had. Her voice on the comms sounded puzzled at first, and then became increasingly terse with each failed shot. When they'd finally gotten the guy she said succinctly in their ears, "Oliver and Barry? Please make sure you stick around when you get back to the lair. I'd like to talk to you both." It was a command, not a request.

Barry had heard tales from Diggle about Felicity's "loud voice" and her ability to stand up to Star City's tough-as-nails vigilante. He'd always assumed that Digg exaggerated – she was, after all, such a sunny person in general - but when he walked into the lair that evening he got a clear sense that Digg hadn't overstated in the least. She fixed a long stare at both Oliver and Barry before looking around the room and saying, "Why don't the rest of you call it an evening? Barry, Oliver and I have something we need to discuss. Cisco – my plane is waiting to take the meta-human back to Central City."

It was a clear dismissal and no one argued with it. Thea and Laurel gave each other surreptitious grins before bolting for the elevator. Only Diggle, the last to leave the lair, cast a curious look in their direction before stepping out.

When it was just the three of them, she stood up and said in a low, steady voice, "Okay, I want to know what's up with you two. And don't you dare say 'nothing' - it's been like this for weeks. You barely talk to each other and, Barry, I can tell you're avoiding me. In fact, I can't help thinking that this has something to do with me. So what the hell is going on?"

Oliver studied Felicity, and Barry was surprised to see a slight crinkling in the corners of his eyes, the beginnings of a smile. It took him a second to realize that Oliver wasn't happy about being chewed out so much as he was delighted to see her back to full strength. Barry knew it was a cliché, but he couldn't help thinking that at this moment, Oliver gazed at Felicity as if she were a glass of water in the desert. His joy at having her there and healthy was palpable. It would really make Barry like the man if he didn't hate him so much right now.

Felicity, on the other hand, was unmoved by Oliver's tender expression. "Oh, don't look at me like I'm a golden retriever puppy, Oliver," she said sharply. "I want the truth." And when Barry started to grin at that, she turned and snapped at him, "And that goes for you, too, Barry."

There was silence while the three of them stared at each other. Felicity sat back down in her chair - a move that clearly said I can wait as long as necessary for one of you to start. Barry looked at Oliver; he really thought it was up to him to go first.

And at last Oliver sighed – a long, deep sigh. Barry saw a flicker of fear in his eyes and knew in that instant that he was going to tell her the truth. There was no guile, no calculation in that look; it was only the dread of losing something very, very precious. He glanced at Barry before saying, "You're right, Felicity. There is something I've been keeping from you. Barry's known about it for a couple of months now and has been after me to tell you. I just," he swallowed heavily, "I just didn't know how. It's kind of…life-altering." He shuffled uneasily on his feet. "Anyway, you shouldn't be mad at Barry. This is completely on me."

Felicity started at the words "life-altering." She stared at Oliver, her expression mirroring his almost perfectly. It was clear to Barry that she was every bit as fearful of losing Oliver as he was of losing her. He could see her running through worst-case scenarios in her mind, looking for solutions to a problem she didn't even understand yet.

And for some reason, that made him optimistic; two people who mean that much to each other should always be able to work things out.

At any rate, he knew he didn't belong there. This was a conversation they should be having in private. He cleared his throat. "I'm going to step out now. If either of you want to talk later…"

They both nodded before turning back to each other. He punched the button to the elevator and stepped in quickly. As the door was closing he heard Oliver say, "I really screwed this one up, Felicity. I just…I didn't…I don't want to fail you. And I'm afraid I might over this." Barry couldn't hear her reply.

When he got out of the elevator several floors up he was surprised to find Diggle waiting. The man was standing in front of a window, staring out into the darkness with his hands loosely clasped behind his back. At the sound of Barry's footsteps, he turned and gave him a wry smile. "Which one of them is going to need my help?"

Barry shrugged, "Both of them, maybe."

Diggle sighed, "Damn. Those problems are always the worst."

Barry's optimism was eventually vindicated, although probably not as quickly as Felicity or Oliver would have liked. Felicity had no issues with Oliver having a son but, predictably, she was unhappy about him hiding that fact. As Oliver had anticipated, she also didn't like being excluded from a part of his life – that probably bothered her more than anything. She urged him strongly (urged being the polite word) to tell Samantha that his fiancée was not just anyone and could be trusted to keep a secret. There were arguments and tears. It took close to six months, but ultimately Samantha agreed to Felicity meeting William. A year later, he was the ring-bearer at their wedding.

A/N: It's interesting. I post on a couple of boards and these stories have garnered a lot of feedback elsewhere, but almost none here so I'm not sure if it's worth continuing. Thank you to the folks who did take time to fav/follow.