A/N: Thank you for the continued amazing support! I read and love all the reviews, and follows, and favorites. I'm so glad you're thinking I'm doing this 'right', because that is my goal.
Things are still a bit rocky for Team Arrow, but we're getting there. Have faith.
Thanks to all my ladies for your general awesomeness!
Enjoy, and let me know what you think!
He didn't know what to expect when he arrived at the office the next morning. His phone had been silent all night and he'd resisted the urge to show up at her apartment. Digg had been mute the entire drive in, and Oliver knew he was worried about her as well.
He certainly didn't expect her to already be at her desk when he got there. His steps actually faltered as he spotted her through the glass. She didn't look up when he entered, purposely tapping away until he reached over and closed his hand over hers on the keyboard.
"Felicity, what are you doing here? You didn't have to come in." She pulled her hand out of his like he'd burnt her, placing it in her lap before she raised her head.
He saw everything. The pain, the embarrassment, the uncertainty. But mostly he saw the fear.
Before she could blink he was around the side of the desk kneeling in front of her. "Hey." He tried to take her hands in his but she rolled backwards, and he could see her trembling.
"I just need some time, Oliver." Her whisper was so quiet he almost missed it. "I have a doctor's appointment on Tuesday. You need to give me until then. Don't bring it up. Don't talk about it. Pretend like it doesn't exist, just like you've been doing for the past week." The fire in her tone took him aback, as did her request.
There was a flash of movement from his peripheral vision, and before he even had a chance to reply she was speaking again. "Your first meeting is here, stand up," she said and turned her attention back to her screen.
Having no other choice than to do as she asked, he quickly palmed a pen as he rose and handed it to her with a tight smile. "Here you go, Ms. Smoak. Let's make sure my schedule is kept clear on Tuesday night," he said, coming around the desk and holding her gaze until she gave him a tiny nod.
Still feeling like his heart was being crushed, he turned in time to greet his first appointment as if his world wasn't threatening to crumble around him.
The rest of the day was wall to wall meetings and he barely had the chance to say more than two words to her. His last one ran late, and when he came out of the conference room her computers were dark and she was gone.
"You get a chance to talk to her?" Digg asked almost as soon as he entered the car.
Oliver sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face, "No. She asked me to pretend like it doesn't exist until Tuesday." He tried to keep the bitterness and hurt out of his voice, but it was impossible.
"What's Tuesday?"
Digg's eyes caught his in the rearview mirror. "Her doctor appointment."
The implication of all that could mean hung between them and not another word was spoken as they drove to the lair.
Felicity was already in front of her screens when they arrived. She didn't look up when she heard them, but he saw tension enter her body and the way her foot wouldn't stop twitching.
She kept quiet until they'd passed her. "I've finished that program to detect the phone and installed it. It'll be easy enough to get him alone later in the night if he has it on him." She sounded...wrong. Her voice was tight and sharp, and he couldn't help but see red at her insinuation that she would still be going.
He and Digg exchanged a look, but before he could say anything she had started again. "Don't tell me I can't go. I'm going. You owe me that." The look she pinned him with dared him to challenge her.
He ate up the distance between them in three long strides and planted one fist by her keyboard as he leaned in so close his face was only inches from hers. "I agreed to not bring it up. I did not agree to let you put yourself in danger," he growled, as his eyes fell to her abdomen for the first time.
In an instant she was pushing from her chair leaving him no choice but to back up. "I'm going. If you try and stop me I will walk out of here and I will not be back!" she spat out as she held his eyes until she couldn't keep the tears away any longer, and she bolted for the stairs.
Digg was quiet until they heard the slam of the metal door at the top of the staircase.
"We'll keep them safe," he said, sounding calmer and more sure than Oliver thought any of them had a right to just then.
It wasn't until halfway through their training session that Oliver realized Digg had said 'them'. He'd come to a halt mid strike and ended up flat on his back for the distraction.
Them. The word washed through him and for the first time he let himself acknowledge he was tied to the life inside her.
Digg wanted to stop but Oliver refused. Felicity had come back downstairs and he wasn't leaving until she did.
She approached the training area with her bag over her shoulder, holding onto the straps like she needed the support to keep from falling apart. He froze, the long wooden stick he'd been sparring with forgotten in his hand and waited for her to talk.
"I'll be ready at seven. Digg can pick me up first," she said with a defiant tilt of her chin. He stared her down, the silent battle raging between them louder than any argument they'd ever had. Her threat to leave and never come back echoed in his mind.
When he dropped his head once in agreement her shoulders slumped and the look in her eyes softened slightly. She opened her mouth like she was going to say something else and then shook her head and left.
He trained the rest of the night. He trained so late he could barely get himself home and managed only to stumble to his bed and fall into a dreamless sleep. He spent the entirety of Saturday going over every aspect of the mission. He memorized the floor plan for the building, knew every exit, had three escape routes he could take her through if anything went wrong, and had installed a tracking device in a bracelet he'd snatched from Thea's room on the way out that morning as a last ditch backup.
Digg arrived around noon and just gave him a nod before he busied himself cleaning his weapons and going over the details again. It eased something in Oliver to know Digg was taking this just as seriously.
The dread within him grew as he drove back to the mansion to get ready. He and Digg had shared a look before he'd left. Nothing was going to happen to her. Nothing.
He was waiting in the foyer when he heard the car pull up. The bowtie around his neck felt like a noose, and even though his gear was in the trunk and this should be one of the most simple missions they'd ever done, he couldn't help but think of everything that could go wrong.
Felicity was intently studying her phone when he climbed in. Her hair was twirled up in a fancy knot he'd never seen her use before and the dress she wore showed off her shoulders.
"You look lovely," he said, hating the tension that stretched between them.
Her head shot up in surprise. "Thanks."
He dug in his pocket and pulled out the bracelet. "I need you to wear this."
She looked between the bracelet and him in confusion, mouth half open before he explained. "I put a tracker on it. Just...just in case." The grip he had on the piece of jewelry grew tighter as an image of having to use it crossed his mind.
He could see her deciding whether to take it or not, and he'd never know what caused the shift in her eyes as she reached over and slid it from his grasp.
"Okay," she agreed quietly and slipped it over her wrist. "Good thing it matches." Her voice still sounded off, but he appreciated her attempt to make things normal, if only for a few seconds.
When they arrived, Oliver waited for Digg to open the door and made an instant decision as he got out. He buttoned his jacket with one hand and extended the other back into the car, leaning in to see Felicity staring at him in shock. "Come on," he encouraged, waggling fingers at her.
She slid across the seat, eyebrows lifted, as she was supposed to ride around the back with Digg and go in through there. A sputtering protest spilled from her lips and he gave her a supportive smile. "I'm not letting you out of my sight. Come on."
Her fingers were whispers on his skin as she took his proffered hand, but it still felt like a bolt of electricity had gone through him. A small gasp she tried to cover up made him wonder if she'd felt it too.
As she stood he could see her dress in better detail. A long drape of fabric fell diagonally from the bodice all the way to the floor, leaving it slightly loose around her middle and he wondered if she had to buy it new because nothing else fit.
That swell of...something he'd never experienced before rose within him again and his hand found her lower back like it had been drawn there as he guided her up the steps. "You really do look stunning," he whispered in her ear.
He saw her swallow heavily and make a move to adjust glasses that weren't there.
She was unnaturally quiet as they entered. Other guests stopped him every few feet to say hello, but his hand never left her back until he saw Digg enter from a service door.
"Digg's here," he said lightly as he leaned closer to speak to her without being heard.
She didn't reply, just stepped smoothly away from him as she mixed into the crowd. He found he couldn't keep his eyes off her, and he spotted Digg tracking her like he was her bodyguard that night, which in a way he was.
Oliver got pulled into a discussion with another guest and managed to carry on the required pleasantries while keeping Felicity in his sights.
When he saw the man they were looking for he tensed and muttered a poor excuse as he abandoned the people he was talking with.
He caught Felicity near the edge of the crowd, Digg a few feet away. "He's here," he said.
"Showtime, boys." She raised her hand like she was going to pat his chest and then thought better of it, her fingers curling into a fist before she pulled her phone out and pretended to be working on it as she opened the program she needed.
She moved easily into the crowd with Digg already following her at a discreet distance. Oliver wound his way through the exterior of the party, avoiding as many potential delays as possible.
The man they were after was talking to a small group which let Felicity come up almost right behind him. Oliver's pulse increased the closer she got and he had to clench his hands to keep himself from pulling her out of there.
His eyes cut to Digg who looked just as tense and on edge. They both couldn't look away as she tapped on her phone and pretended to look around the room as if she was searching for Oliver.
She turned slowly, phone held loosely in one hand, but it was pointed very deliberately. To none the wiser she was just scanning the crowd. He saw her jump slightly and look down at her phone and there was a hint of a smile as she swiped across the screen.
Thirty seconds later he was at her side, hand returning to her lower back. "Success?"
"Left breast pocket," she said, slightly breathless.
"Good job," he praised, meaning it. The sudden realization that everything had gone fine and she was safe sent his equilibrium into a tailspin. He canted towards her, his shoulders closing around her as his other hand came to rest just at her waist.
Startled eyes flew to his and he smiled broadly in an attempt to cover his temporary loss of control. With deft fingers he slipped her phone from her hand and pocketed it before he took her by the wrist and led her onto the dance floor.
"Oliver…" she tried to resist but he wouldn't let her go.
"Just one dance," he asked more than said and waited with his breath held in his chest until she stepped towards him.
Her hand slid into his while the other laid gently along his arm. "I'm not a very good dancer," she warned him.
"Neither am I," he countered, and received a genuine smile in return.
"I find that hard to believe. I highly doubt Moira Queen would unleash her son on the young ladies of society without the basic ability to dance." She threw back with a raised eyebrow and that head tilt he always found so endearing.
He gave her a small shrug. "You think you know everything," he said, calling on the very dance training she'd so correctly pegged, and with quick steps turned them easily into a back corner, feeling how her fingers dug into the jacket of his tuxedo as he took her by surprise.
"Whoa! Warn a girl before you tear the rug out from under her," she said on a gasp, and they both almost stuttered to a halt at her words. In an instant everything they'd been avoiding and had managed to forget for the past few minutes came rushing back. Her eyes shuttered and he could actually feel the tension and strain enter her body. She shifted away from him until they were barely in a dance hold.
Before he could offer an apology or stupidly attempt to talk about the biggest thing to affect both their lives in a crowded ball room, the lights suddenly went out.
The orchestra trailed off instrument by instrument and a hush fell over the room. When a woman let out a startled scream there was frantic movement all around them.
Oliver didn't stop to think, he just reacted. In an instant he had Felicity spun into his chest, one hand unknowingly splayed across her abdomen as he looked around in the dim emergency lighting for Digg. He could feel how she clamped down on his forearm, chest rising in terror beneath him.
Digg appeared in a second, crowding in front of her. Oliver pushed her as far into him as he could before he pivoted, hardly an inch of her not protected by either of them. Fear slammed into him so strong and so unexpected that he felt frozen for a moment before years of training kicked in to override that unfamiliar emotion. He knew in that instant he'd go back on his vow not to kill if it meant he could save her.
"Oliver!" He heard her cry in a high wavery voice. He reached a hand back and clasped hers, nails digging in so hard she left crescent shaped marks on his skin. All his senses were on alert, trying to find the threat.
As a unit they moved slowly and carefully towards the back wall trying to stay out of the way of people who were beginning to panic. A quick reaction by Digg kept someone from running right into them. He felt Felicity shrink down behind him as she turned so her head was tucked into his shoulder blades, other hand clenched in his suit jacket.
They were almost to the service door nearest them when the lights came up. Guests were blinking their eyes, and looking around in confusion and fear until the orchestra conductor came over the sound system and explained the light panel had been accidentally hit and there was no cause for concern.
There was nervous laughter and slowly conversations started back up as the orchestra began playing again.
He felt Felicity release the grip she had on his jacket and turned slowly to see her pale, frightened face. Digg stepped back some and nodded his head towards the door. He was going to get the car. Oliver agreed with a sharp flick of his chin; they needed to get out of there.
"Hey, we're okay," he told her, hands cupping her shoulders, unable to ignore how smooth her skin was under his palms.
"Yeah," she said quietly, eyes still studying the floor. He looked down in time to see both her hands drop from where they had been clasped over her middle.
He felt like he'd been kicked in the gut, and wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and let her know that everything would be okay. Everything.
But he couldn't do that. Instead he chanced tipping her chin up with one finger. "Digg's getting the car. I think it's time you called it a night."
He was expecting her to fight him on it, but she didn't. "I think you're right."
The relief he felt was too swift for him to hide and he saw her eyes widen as she took in his reaction. "Let's go. You can wait in the car until I'm done."
Oliver waved a casual hand here and there as they left, but didn't stop even when people were clearly trying to get his attention. When she stumbled slightly he realized how fast his pace was and he slowed it for her.
He did make sure to take a few seconds to thank the host before they made their way down the stairs and out into the cool night air. Digg was waiting at the bottom, the back door already open. Oliver handed Felicity in quickly and when the door shut behind him he took his first real breath since the lights had gone out.
As soon as Digg was in the car he turned and found Felicity. "You okay?"
"I'm good," she said, voice stronger than it had been earlier. She sat back and closed her eyes, but he could see the frantic pulse in her throat and the way her chest rose and fell.
"We still on?" Digg asked.
"Yeah," he replied, his tone hard. They weren't going to have gone through all of that for nothing.
Digg's answer was to pull away as Oliver raised a hand and began to undo his bowtie. "Can you still make the call or do you want me to do it?"
Felicity blinked twice and turned her head to look at him. "I can do it, but you have my phone."
He gave her a slightly sheepish grin and felt in his pockets until he found the device. He dropped it into her hand with his bowtie and made quick work of his cufflinks. "Hang on to these too."
She let out a small sigh and let it all fall into her bag before she thumbed on her phone and dialed the venue they had just left. A few minutes later she'd managed to convince them to call their target and pass on a message to meet a potential investor on the west portico.
Digg parked on a dark street below the back garden of the gala site. Oliver shrugged out of his jacket, and in a moment of pure impulse, draped it over Felicity's shoulders. She gaped at him, unable to speak. "You looked cold." He was out of the car before he heard her response.
The trunk was already popped as he grabbed his bag and headed up a densely overgrown hill. He'd scouted this location earlier in the week and knew the best place to change and leave his bag. The low wall was no challenge and the lighting on this side of the building was at a minimum, which was why they had chosen it.
Right on time the mark walked out, looking around in confusion when he saw the portico was empty. It hardly took any threatening for the man to hand over the device; Oliver only had to nock one arrow before there was stammering and pleading.
It hadn't been twenty minutes since he'd exited the car that he was sliding back in again, Arrow gear stowed in the trunk. Digg held a finger to his lips when Oliver opened the door and he looked over to see Felicity sound asleep, curled into the back of the seat.
Oliver took care to buckle her in quietly as Digg headed for her apartment. He couldn't help the way his gaze kept going back to her. Every day he was realizing how important she was to him. Her threat to walk out the day before had hit him harder than he had expected. And now...he didn't know how to process that. Tuesday felt like it was years away.
They were pulling up at her place before he knew it and she was still asleep. Digg looked over his shoulder and then at Oliver." You going to wake her up?"
Oliver stared at her and wondered how mad she would be if she woke up while he was carrying her inside and then decided he'd risk it. "No, get her keys," he said and handed her small clutch over.
Oliver ran over to her side of the car and undid her seatbelt without her even twitching. He slid his arms under her and pulled her out easily, kicking the door shut with his foot as he headed for the main door to her building.
Digg was waiting to open it and then hurried ahead to get the elevator. Her head turned slightly into his chest but her eyes remained shut. They rode the five floors in silence and even the overly loud chime didn't wake her.
By the time Oliver had made it down the hall Digg was inside with the lights on. He headed straight back to her bedroom to see the covers had already been drawn back. When he laid her on the bed she rolled towards him slightly, and it took everything in him not to brush his hand across her face. Instead he slipped her heels off and pulled the blanket over her. The tuxedo jacket he'd wrapped around her was impossible to retrieve without waking her, so he just left it where it was. There was something about the sight of it enveloping her small frame that sparked a flame inside him. A flame that was close to burning out of control.
Digg slid her clutch in front of his face and he was forced to stand upright and take it. He left it on her bedside table and allowed himself one more look before he stole from the room.
When they were back in the car he sent her a text telling her to take the next day off and he'd see her Monday at the office.
He spent that night pacing as well. Every time he'd tried to fall asleep he'd been jolted awake by an image of shots ringing out in the ballroom as they danced and her lifeless body falling to the floor in front of him while he watched, helpless to do anything.