I don't where this came from, I'm not even sure why I remembered the fern but here is another oneshot.

I haven't actually seen 3x12, which sucks by the way, but I have watched some clips, especially the Oliver and Felicity reunion one and my god! My feelings are so battered and bruised right now!

Arg! It's going to be a long second half of a season when hopefully we get some happy Oliver and Felicity by the end of the season…I miss their happy scenes…Anyways I was trying to say that this doesn't follow after 3x12, it's my own version if it were to happen in an alternative universe where the writers were to make Oliver and Felicity have adorable scenes like they did in season 2 and the beginning of the first episode of season 3.

DISCLAIMER: AGAIN, I OWN NOTHING…

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It had only been six days since Oliver got back from being presumed dead…again. But ever since his return to the Lair he can't shake the feeling that something is missing.

It was something that he couldn't put his finger on. He thought that maybe it was the way the team dynamics had changed. How they almost don't need him as a leader anymore but he realised, that felt more like wounded pride than the feeling of something being out of place.

It had taken Oliver three days to realise that not only was something missing but something, in the Lair, felt physically out of place.

He thought that maybe it was because Laurel had claimed Barry's glass case as her own, but he shook his head and dismissed the thought almost immediately.

By the fifth day he was getting so frustrated that he asked Roy, who just happened to be in the Lair with him, if they had changed something or some of the equipment around. Roy just looked around with a frown on his face and shook his head. He said that everything is in the same place it was before Oliver had left.

Oliver had to refrain from arguing with the kid and instead just nodded his head.

It wasn't until the sixth day, where everyone was out patrolling different areas that he stumbled upon his answer.

While he was on a rooftop overlooking a hot spot for criminal activity in the Glades, he saw a flash of colour in his peripherals. He turned towards the source while reaching back for an arrow thinking it was someone trying to sneak up on him. He breathed out slowly and almost laughed at himself as he realised it was just a plant.

Something clicked in his brain though and before he knew it he was running back towards Verdant.

He burst through the back door and ignored the startled yelp he heard coming from inside. He came into full view of the Lair and scanned the room looking for it.

"Oliver! Okay, I am seriously considering making you wear a bell."

He heard her but didn't respond as he kept looking for it, even thought, at the back of his mind, he knew it's not here.

He felt fingers grip his arm making him stop his fruitless search and look at Felicity. "Hey, is everything okay? Is someone hurt?"

"What? No, I haven't heard anything from the others." He replied distractedly as he walked around her to her computers.

He thought that maybe it was behind her monitors, reasoning that it was moved around a lot. He frowned when he didn't see it and looked up again to have another scan of the Lair.

"Oliver" He felt fingers grip both of his arms as Felicity called to him. He looked down at her and he could see the worry on her face. "What's wrong?"

"The fern" He sighed as he couldn't help feeling a little silly being upset about the unknown whereabouts of his fern. "I don't remember seeing it since I returned."

He looked at Felicity and immediately noticed how guilty she looked and how she quickly retracted her hands from his arms.

"The fern? I'm sure it's around here somewhere" Oliver frowned at her as she turned away from him.

Was she lying to him?

"Now that you mention it I think Diggle might have taken it home, he said something about Lyla loving ferns."

Yup, she was definitely lying to him.

"Felicity, what happened to my fern?"

He heard her sigh before turning back around to face him with her hands out in a placating gesture. "Okay, I'll tell you just, please don't be mad"

"Felicity" He knows he just growled a warning at her but he really needs to know where it is.

"I may or may not have forgotten to water it" He raised an eyebrow at her choice of words "Okay, more 'may' than 'not' but I was going to replace it; I just never seemed to have the time to do it."

Oliver frowned at her in confusion "How could you forget to water it? You're here every night and it's a bit of an eyesore in contrast with everything down here"

He watched as she fidgeted with her fingers "Well I may or may not have - -"

"Felicity!" He couldn't help the tone his voice took; he was getting beyond frustrated.

"Alright! Jezz, someone is extra grumpy tonight"

He breathed out an air of irritation and used a lot of his willpower to stay quiet and wait for her to continue.

"I walked out"

He frowned at her "You walked out?"

"I left" He heard a small sigh escape her lips and watched as she ran a hand over her hair before continuing. "After Merlyn told us you were dead, after we found out that the blood on the sword was yours and after I watched helplessly as Roy and John were nearly killed by Brickwell with the help of his copious amounts of goons with really big automated weapons, I walked away"

The Lair fell deathly quiet as Oliver was having trouble processing what Felicity just confessed. She left? The very thought of her ever leaving is just so foreign to him. Felicity, ever since she joined his cause, has always been here waiting on his every beck and call. Her leaving would be the equivalent of them stumbling around in the dark

If she didn't show up or if he didn't hear from her at least once a day then he knew that something was wrong.

Oliver was brought back by Felicity clearing her throat. "I uh…I was gone for over a week and we both know Roy and Diggle wouldn't have even thought to water it, so it died. It died because I wasn't here to take care of it."

She added the last part in so quietly, Oliver was sure that she didn't mean for him to hear it.

Okay, so he understands why the fern is gone now but why did Felicity leave?

Diggle did mention to him about what occurred the night Felicity was referring to about her feeling helpless. Diggle told Oliver that she interfered by closing the garage door and effectively locking them in the warehouse where she thought they would be safe from danger. But that's not really something to leave the team over.

A realisation clicked in his head at the thought.

"You left the same night you guys found out I was dead" He watched her look at him in surprise before ducking her head and nodding imperceptibly in confirmation.

Oliver let out a sigh and realised he was still holding his bow. He slowly walked to his case and placed it gently in its holder. He stared at the bow, fully aware of Felicity's eyes watching him before he turned around and asked her quietly

"Why did you leave?"

Oliver watched her throw her arms out to her sides and could see she felt frustrated by the question. "Because we thought you were dead Oliver."

He kept looking at her as she looked at him with an expression mixed between sorrow and anger. Why does he feel like this conversation is well overdue?

"All of this…" She said quietly as she gestured around the Lair "…all that we've done for the city and the people who live in it. All of the achievements and personal growth we've all gone through. It's all because of you Oliver" He couldn't help but to feel a swell of pride at what she said. He smiled slightly at her and he noticed the slightest upturn of her lips in response

"We wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for you and when you were gone I…" She breathed out a sigh of frustration "…I just didn't know if I could keep doing this without you. It didn't feel right"

He frowned as he noticed her shoulders sagged which suggested that she felt defeated and that is something Felicity has never been. He walked towards her and placed his hand on her shoulder. The gesture, he realised, is something he hasn't done in a while. In fact, ever since that night at the hospital when Sara was born, he can count on one hand the amount of times they've actually touched each other since then.

"I'm so sorry Oliver" She breathed out and Oliver could feel his chest tug painfully at how sad she sounded

"For what?"

"For walking away and consequently killing your fern" She replied quietly trying to inject a little humour but Oliver could hear an underlying of anger in her voice "It shouldn't have even occurred to me do that; to leave and abandon the team, my friends. All because I was so lost and upset"

"Hey" he urged her quietly as he gripped both of her shoulders. He tried to duck his head to look in her downturned eyes but she refused to meet his eyes

"It's just a fern Felicity" Her eyes rose suddenly to meet his and he couldn't help but to smile at her "We can always get another one"

How could he stay mad at her for leaving? He doesn't know what he would do if he was told by Malcolm Merlyn that Felicity was dead. He'd imagine a lot of self-destruction would ensue so he can't blame her for doing what she did. The main thing is that she came back and she helped the team keep the Glades safe when the SCPD abandoned the Glades. He was so unbelievably proud of everyone and what they did to help keep this city safe in his absence.

Felicity watched him for a moment before he watched a beautiful smile grace her face. "Obviously, to you, it's not just a fern"

Oliver smiled in response and let go of her shoulders "No it's not"

"So what is it to you?"

Oliver hesitated. He knew exactly what the fern was to him but was he ready to tell Felicity? She knows he loves her and although she hasn't said anything he's pretty sure she loves him too. But he's not ready to jump off that bridge yet, hopefully soon but he knows he still has a lot of soul searching to do and the last thing he wants is to hurt her on his journey of self-discovery.

Oliver ended up just smiling at Felicity and replied "You'll know soon enough"

He turned away from her to go to the bathroom so he could get his suit off

"I think I already do"

He heard her faintly and it made him stop in his retreat. He turned back towards her and she saw a small, shy smile on her face. Oliver shook his head and smile back "It wouldn't surprise me if you did know"

The next morning Oliver awoke to typing and knew who it was straight away. He slowly sat up from the floor and started to make his way over to her when what he saw made him stop in his tracks

Felicity was sitting there in her usual dress that she wears for work - which Oliver thinks show off too much of her legs and back but he's not really sure if that's an objective opinion because he thinks most of her dresses are like that. But what made him smile was the bright, healthy green of a fern sitting next to her on the table.

He must have made a noise because she turned around with a ghost of a smile on her lips

"You should've bought me a bed" He said, re-calling the memory of the first time she bought him a fern

Felicity breathed out a laugh and replied with ease "You're sleeping on the floor"

Oliver smiled back and approached her to find out what she was doing here so early all the while, all he was thinking about was: soon.

They will be together soon.

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There you have it, another oneshot added to the collection. I think another will be added soon because I can't sleep after watching the reunion clip from YouTube I need to write my feelings out so I think that the conversation I was planning on writing for my other story: Healing Wounds, could be uploaded in a few hours.

Thanks for reading and remember if you want to have a go at a prompt then PM me!

Mel