Chapter 3.

Two Weeks Later.

"You know I could get used to you carrying me down the stairs." Felicity said as they walked down the stairs in the loft.

Oliver chuckled "I would carry you to the ends of the earth if I had to."

"Even to Bali?"

"Even to Bali."

As they reached the bottom part of the stairs Oliver gently placed her in the wheel chair before kneeling in front of her "Are you sure you don't want to come tonight?"

"No I I'm not ready not yet."

"I don't feel comfortable leaving you alone, I can call Donna."

"No, please no I finally got her out of the house for a date with Lance so she could stop babying me I will be fine, promise."

"Okay well I'll be on the radio if you need anything before tonight call me okay?"

"Okay, Love you."

"Love you too."

Oliver leaned forward and kissed her before walking out the door.

Felicity sighed as she looked around the empty loft before turning and going over to the desk Oliver set up.

She grabbed her pain pills and took two.

"That's the third time today you've gone into the bottle." A voice said to her from behind.

Felicity turned to see something that made her think she had gone crazy because she literally saw herself, her old self the version of her that wore all black to match her hair and dark lipstick and metal jewelry the her she thought she left a long time ago.

Felicity closed her eyes "You're not real and when I open my eyes you will be gone."

Felicity opened her eyes to nothing and sighed "I have got to a stop hallucinating." She said before turning on her computer.

"Who says I am a hallucination what if I'm just your inner thoughts brought to life?"

"Well then you can go away because I already know what I'm thinking." She said "My god I'm talking to myself I have gone crazy." She said before typing some more.

Oliver walked into the lair to see Thea waiting for him "Where's Felicity?"

"She didn't want to come tonight she wants to work at home."

"Again? Are you sure she is alright by herself?"

"I told her if she needed anything she knows where I am."

"I just wish we could help her somehow I mean the way life is now is really different and she shouldn't do it alone."

Oliver was about to say something when John walked in obviously panicked.

"John what is it?"

"Lyla's been kidnapped by some of the men from Argus?"

"Lyla why would they take Lyla."

"Because Andy told them too."

Felicity sat at her computer and typed when her elbow hit over her water bottle causing it to spill all over the floor.

"Damn it."

"Need some help there?" Goth Felicity asked.

"No I'm fine." Felicity said struggling to pick the water bottle off the floor.

"Look at you, you're helpless what happened to me you used to be so strong and now you're weak and paralyzed and alone, he'll leave you know sooner or later he will get tired of you and leave you just like our father did."

"SHUT UP!" Felicity screamed

Her phone ringing brought her back to reality.

"Hello?" Felicity said her voice shaking.

"Felicity are you okay?"

"Oliver, yeah sorry did you make it to the lair?"

"Yeah I'm here and look Felicity I think you should really come, we could really use your help."

"Oliver we-"

"Lyla's been kidnapped."

"Oh my god and Sara?"

"She's fine she was with the sitter, Felicity we really need you."

"Okay I can do it from here just let me know what you need."

Felicity typed violently on her computer keys as she hacked into the building's security codes,

"Alright guys it is safe to go in." she said into the radio.

"Alright let's do this." Diggle said.

The next twenty minutes were a blur to Felicity all she remembered was her eyesight getting blurry and her hitting a key and everything turned red.

She watched in horror as the security system she just turned off came back on and she heard Oliver's voice over the radio.

"Felicity what's going on?"

"I...I don't know I must have hit something, I don't know what to do."

The next thing she heard was bullets being fired and people shouting before the radio went dead.

"Oliver!" she shouted.

"See what you did, you got them killed, did those bullets paralyze your brain stem too, or are you just too drugged up to even touch a computer these days, I won't be surprised if Oliver does leave you after this, that is if you haven't killed him.

"Shut up, please shut up." She said laying her head down before everything went dark.

When she awoke it was to Oliver shaking her and yelling her name, and Diggle looking on worried.

"Felicity!"

"What…What happened, Oliver you're alright?"

"Yeah we are all fine, Diggle got Lyla just in time, what happened?"

"I honestly don't know one minute everything was good and the next, maybe I just can't do this anymore." Felicity said.

"What are you talking about?"

"I can't use my legs Oliver! I can't do anything right anymore." Felicity groaned as she used her arms to stand up holding her whole body weight up with them "I can't be a member of the team anymore." She said before sitting back down.

"John can you give us a minute?"

John nodded before leaving the loft.

Oliver looked down at Felicity who stared out the window not looking at him.

"Felicity, you are and will always be a member of the team, we can't survive without you."

"I nearly got you guys killed Oliver."

"Well yeah but you are allowed to make mistakes you're human we all make them."

"Yeah but I can't afford to make them when I have people's lives in my hands, I'm not a superhero Oliver, I have a spinal cord injury I might not ever walk again."

"That's the worst case scenario, but you are a member of this team and your super power is right there." Oliver said pointing to her brain causing Felicity to smile.

Oliver kneeled in front of her "I know this is a big adjustment for you it is for me too but we can get through this together, I'm not going anywhere even if you push me away I'm still going to stay right here and so is the team so you take as long as you want we will be waiting."

Oliver kissed her "We have to go back out for a little bit but Donna called and said she was on her way back, I'll be home later."

Felicity watched him leave again.

"One day he will leave and not come back."

"Shut up."

Oliver walked outside and didn't see Diggle, and pulled out his phone to see a text from him.

Ran out to do something will meet you at the restaurant.

Oliver wanted to ask what he was doing but figured it was none of his business.

When Oliver walked into the restaurant he was waved over by Thea who was sitting next to Alex.

"How's Felicity?" Thea asked when they hugged.

"I don't know but I hope I helped her."

"Well Alex called us to the meeting because he has news and it's not good."

"Alright what's the news?" Oliver asked sitting down.

"I got news earlier tonight that someone else put a bid in to be mayor of Star City."

"What who?"

"Don't know the name yet but I figured we could map out a strategy for the debate."

"Whoa debate what debate?"

"Well now that there are two of you running there needs to be a debate so that voters can see both sides on the issues currently plaguing the city but they can also get very personal too so I need to know if you have any secrets I need to know about?"

Oliver thought back to a few months ago when he found out he was a father to a child he didn't even know existed but knew he could never bring that up.

"No not that I can think of."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Alright then let's get to work."

Oliver walked in to Donna sitting on the couch covered in a blanket and saw Felicity's wheelchair empty.

"Where's Felicity?"

"In bed." Was Donna's only answer.

"How did she?"

"I helped her."

"Donna…"

"Look Oliver I'm going to be straight with you do you still want to marry my daughter?"

"What? Of course I still want to marry her why would you ask me that?"

"Because you keep leaving her that's why, she was shot Oliver and nearly killed and you took off before I even got to the hospital and now you just leave at random times during the day, I know Felicity's condition is new to you and I can understand if it is a burden or if you can't handle it but you need to tell her and you need to tell her now because I have seen the look of abandonment too many times on my daughter's face some of my own doing to watch her go through it again, I will not stand and watch another man that she loves hurt her again."

Oliver sighed and sat down on the couch and looked at Donna.

"Donna, I love your daughter in the hospital I said that I was with her through better or for worse and I meant that."

"Then why do you keep leaving?"

"I can't tell you that at least not now."

Donna scoffed and stood up "Goodnight Oliver."

"Donna."

"Goodnight." She said walking up the stairs.

Oliver rubbed his eyes before walking up the stairs as well.

He could tell Felicity wasn't sleep by the lack of soft snoring when he walked in, her back was towards him and she was stretched out on his side which made him smile, ever since the shooting she would sleep as close to him as possible and he didn't mind in the least.

He walked around the edge and sat down it was then he realized Felicity was crying as soon as she saw him she wiped her eyes "Hey I didn't hear you come in."

"Why are you crying?"

"It's nothing its stupid."

"Felicity it's not stupid what is wrong?"

"I hate this, I hate that I can't walk I hate it that I can't even pick up a bottle if it drops on the floor I just hate it!"

Oliver laid down and scooped her in his arms.

"I know you're scared I'm scared too but we will get through this, I'm not going anywhere I will say it every minute of every day if it will make you believe me but we are in this together."

"Promise."

"I promise."

Felicity looked at the window and saw the Goth Version of her standing by the window.

"He's still going to leave just you wait and see."

Felicity closed her eyes tight before succumbing to sleep.

Alex and Oliver were working in the office.

"So I think if we do another breakfast at the firehouse that could get us their votes."

"Yeah that's a great idea." Oliver said staring out the window.

"Oliver are you alright you seem out of it."

"I'm just… I worried about Felicity."

"Yeah I hear she's having a hard time."

"Yeah I just wish there was some way I could help her."

"You are just by supporting her and being there for her when she is ready she will come around."

"Yeah so any idea who this other runner is?"

"That would be me."

Alex and Oliver look towards the door to see a woman standing in the doorway.

She walked over to Oliver "Hi Mr. Queen I am Ruve Adams it's nice to meet you finally."

Felicity sat staring out the window and sighed, she felt so useless and she hated feeling like that.

There was a knock on the door and she heard Donna say "I'll get it."

Felicity sighed before turning in her chair seeing Diggle walking through the door.

"Hey John." Felicity said with a smile.

"Hello Beautiful." John said kissing her on the cheek "Hey are you doing anything today?"

"No just sitting around here why?"

"I need you to come with me if you would like?"

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise."

"Okay." Felicity said a little skeptical.

"I'll grab your coat." Donna said.

As soon as they got in the car Diggle blindfolded Felicity.

"Seriously dig with the blindfold?"

"Well it wouldn't be a surprise if you saw it before I unveiled it would it?"

"You have a point."

"So sit back and relax because nothing is going to happen to you as long as I'm here."

When they got to their destination Felicity heard Diggle and he carried her a really long distance.

"You know you don't have to carry me the whole way right?"

"Yeah well I just thought I would get my weights in for today."

Felicity chuckled "Can we take the blindfold off now?"

"No not yet."

Felicity knew they walked into a building because she felt the heat hit her body and she knew she stepped into an elevator when she heard a ding and doors open.

She had to say she was shocked when Diggle took the blindfold off and she saw the lair.

"The lair? You brought me to the lair?"

"Yeah because this is where you belong?" Diggle said walking her up the stairs and sitting her in a new chair that supported her.

"Diggle..."

"Listen to me." Diggle said grabbing a chair and rolling it up to her so he could sit face to face with her.

"I can't imagine what you are going through or how you are feeling but I don't want to ever hear you say again that you can't be a part of this team because without you there is no team, sure there would still be me and Thea and Oliver but you can't have the brawn without the brains and that is you, you are the glue that holds this team together, you are the reason I get to go home to my family every night safe, there are very few people I trust my life Felicity but I need you to know you are Number two only coming in second to Lyla, And I don't see how this team or any of us will survive if you aren't here to help us out because I can't imagine walking through that door every night and not hearing your unstoppable babbling or to hear you hitting those computer keys with such force that they are going to break, I know that you feel like your life is forever changed but it's not because my best friend is still here on earth and she is the most strongest, most bad ass woman on the planet and not even a wheelchair is going to stop her."

"I almost got you killed John."

"But you didn't you are allowed to make mistakes Felicity we all make them, you making a mistake won't make me think of you any less as I do now it actually makes me admire you more, you will always be a member of this team even if you don't feel like it, this team is your family and this is your home."

"But how can I even get down here anymore I can't walk up the stairs and you and Oliver can't carry me all the time even if you wanted too."

Diggle smiled "I'm so glad you asked that."

Diggle turned the chair around and pushed her towards the edge where she saw a new ramp where the steps used to be "I put that bad boy in last night and there is also one upstairs so you can also get into the building as well."

"You did all of this for me?"

Diggle kneeled in front of her "Of course I did, you're my best friend not only that but your practically like my little sister so I will always feel the need to protect you but I want you to be happy and I know this is what makes you happy, hacking into servers and taking down firewalls and doing all the other techie stuff you do that I can't think the names of right now."

Felicity chuckled and John held her hands.

"Remember when Sara first joined the team and you were worried because you didn't know why we needed you if we had her?"

"Yes."

"And do you remember what I told you?"

"You said that I was irreplaceable."

"Because you are we couldn't find anyone as smart as you and surely not someone whose spirit is so bright she lights up a room when she walks through the door you are the foundation to this team Felicity and we need you so why don't you help us out here and help me out and say you'll come back, cause without you we are goners for sure."

Felicity looked at Diggle to see tears forming in his eyes and sighed before speaking.