Chapter 3: Foundry Fears

Roy had been mad. Felicity and John knew he was angry. John had told them they had to clear out The Foundry, that it wasn't safe anymore and Roy was unimpressed. He didn't understand why they were talking about clearing out of The Foundry and being so calm when Oliver was behind bars. Felicity sat back into her black leather chair and looked up at John and Roy and their worried faces.

"All I'm saying is, right now, we have to stay safe, at the very least or we will be of no help to Oliver", John said. He looked over at Felicity who nodded in agreement and moved to get up.

"I can't believe it", Roy said and moved to the door.

"Roy?" Felicity called out but he was gone. "Where do we start?" Felicity looked at John hoping he had some idea of what they needed to think of as they considered the very real possibility of the SCPD moving through The Foundry. The idea of The Foundry not being "theirs" was too much to bear on an already heavy day. She loved it there. It felt like home to her as much as anywhere else. The people she cared about the most in the world were normally here, with her.

"I'm going to get the van, we load as much as we can and everything that could implicate Oliver or any of us directly. We'll move it out so he has something to come back to - when he does", John replied.

"So, you think we'll get him out?" Felicity asked.

"It's Oliver", John replied. "The guy seems to have nine lives and I don't think we can count him out yet. One thing at a time Felicity", he said reassuringly.

Felicity slumped onto her sofa and leaned her head back into the cushions. She was out of energy, her body ached and she was starting to fend off a headache. Of all the things she had been through over the past two and a half years, she had never had a day like this. Every man in her life had her worried. Ray and Oliver had her in knots today, not just, worried because he seems a little distracted but, "my whole life is at stake" wracking her brain with what to do concerned. Roy was mad and she hadn't seen him she left The Foundry earlier. John was as tense as she had seen him. Ray had almost died and Oliver … Oliver had just turned himself in. Her mind was reeling. She put her face in her hands and tried to will the tears that she had seemed to have been fighting all day to flow but they wouldn't. It was like her mind was too busy to be emotional.

It had been a rollercoaster over the past ten days with Ray. He had found out about Oliver and while they had seem to had found their way through that situation, she was still thinking about the look on Ray's face when he looked at her and said "Oliver Queen is The Arrow". It wasn't so different to when she had told Oliver about Ray and the Atom suit. The upside, in her mind, was that everyone knew. She wasn't hiding things from the two of them right now. With everything out in the open, she felt relieved but also, as confused as ever.

Oliver is convinced he can't be The Arrow and, just Oliver, she thought. Her mind was tired and wandering. She wondered at times like this if she was at her most deluded or most clear. Oliver is convinced that Ray can't be The Atom and have his own life. She hated that he thought like this. What did he think of her if he felt like that? She basically lived a double life. She didn't work under a persona. She didn't have a new name but, she was no different than Arsenal or Black Canary but that was only because she spent most of her time in The Foundry and not on the street. She lied to everyone and between everyone as needed. She didn't like to think of it as lying, more like, keeping secrets but, it never made her think she couldn't have a full life. Just the opposite, it made her life feel full. It made her feel like she had a purpose, a reason to work hard, stay up late and push through until morning. It was a rush to hack into a database and talk the team through whatever or whoever they were after. It was more dynamic and exciting than anything she had ever been a part of and right now, it felt like it was all crashing down.

Maybe Oliver was right. Ray was wonderful in so many ways. But, it wasn't lost on her that it was in that terrible moment when she realized he knew Oliver's secret that she had realized he had the Atom suit working. Why hadn't he told her? She shook her head, was she crazy to have expected him to come bounding into her office, or apartment, for that matter? She imagined him pulling at her hand and dragging her into the lab to see it for herself. She wondered when it had first flown? What kind of "true partner" could she be if she didn't even know about the suit? She had been so relieved that they had found some common ground she hadn't even ask the questions.

Maybe, the only way for someone to understand a double life is to lead it with you? She thought. Felicity looked over at the clock. "I should be in bed", she mumbled to herself. She staggered up and moved to her bedroom. She flopped down on the bed without taking off her clothes and willed herself to sleep.

"I love you", he smiled as he tilted his head and looked at her. She smiled back, walked towards him and gently placed her hand on his waist. He felt solid and warm. The leather of his coat was soft in her hands. She looked up at him and felt his lips crash into hers. I love you too, rushed through her mind as she gripped him harder. Suddenly, all she could hear was Captain Lance yelling at both of them to get on the ground. The cold concrete of The Foundry pressed into her face.

Felicity sat up, heaving on her bed. One of her heels fell to the floor making her jump and the other dangled precariously from her left foot. She kicked it off and it tumbled onto the floor. She caught her breath and pulled her duvet from one side over her.

In the living room, her phone vibrated at the bottom of her purse but she was already heading back to sleep.