The week had been a blur.

She cried more than she thought was humanly possible and thought she must have broken some sort of record by now.

The heart break and the memories from the night she was kidnapped clouded her brain with so many different outcomes that all ended the same way. With her balled on her couch wrapped in blankets watching sad movies or reading depressing books.

It was over. Whatever she and Oliver had, it was over.

She knew that. But that didn't make it hurt any less.

Why hadn't he fought her? She asked herself again, but thinking back only made the pain deepen. Didn't he care? He said he cared, so why did he go?

She needed a clean break. From him, from Diggle. From this city, his city.

She knew she needed to start over, but she didn't want to run again. She had practically ran from home to go to Starling City and work at QC. But she didn't have anything back then that had ground her there. But now… Now this place had become her home, and the people here became her family. She had too much holding her here and that thought scared her.

She had to cut the cord.

She couldn't keep depending on these people.

During the mornings he dragged himself into work and forced his mind anywhere but the desk just beyond the glass walls that held the wrong blonde woman. He didn't bother talking to his new EA other than to set up meetings or fetch him coffee.

Hooding up didn't thrill him anymore, so he stopped going out altogether.

Everything had lost its flavor anyways.

Even the alcohol had lost its burn.

The only thing keeping him together was his nightly visits to her house. Which, now that he thought about it, was really creepy and stalkerish. He'd sit outside her window and watch her sleep or watch her read, anything.

He just needed to make sure she was still there, still alive.

He sighed as he watched her from outside the window. His worry was deepening. She was beginning to look sick. Her eyes were always heavy, her lips and skin were almost transparent, the way she walked, how slowly and un purposeful her steps had become in the past week scared him.

How for the past six nights he hasn't seen her eat a thing. Part of him hoped she would have downed a few cartons of mint chip. But she hadn't.

I broke her. He thought. She was the one thing he kept tucked away from himself so his destructive behaver couldn't tarnish her pure nature.

Still, he managed to ruin the only good thing in his life.

In that moment he thought of the day he met her. How if he could, he would go back he wouldn't have gone to her. He would have left her alone, let her live a happy life, not one consumed with complications and lies. She deserved that.

He watched her get up and head to the kitchen and he felt so relieved that she would finally eat something.

"No Felicity don't" He whispered to himself sadly when she got out a wine glass instead of food. She was doing exactly what he was doing. Drowning the pain.

He looked at down at his phone, it was almost eight thirty pizza places still delivered. He called quickly and ordered her favorite and hoped the greasy food would be appeling enough to her that she'd finally eat.

When the delivery boy came Oliver was waiting on the porch with the money in one hand and a pen and a daisy in the other. Yes, he stole the flower from her neighbor's garden, but when he saw it and remembered it was her favorite flower he had to get it.

She had ignored the pain in her stomach all day because the pain in her heart was far worse. Far more demanding.

She thought she was safe by watching The Lion King and managed to stay strong up till the point when Mufasa died, then she let the cascade of tears fall again.

"Damn you Walt Disney" she mumbled wiping under her eyes.

When the knocking on her door sounded she swore her mind was playing tricks on her.

She sat up and paused the movie and looked towards the door. When she heard the knock again she sprang up and ran to it. The hopeless romantic side of herself hoped it was Oliver, even the realistic part of her hoped it would be Oliver at her door with an apology.

She opened the door without looking through the peephole first.

She didn't hide her disappointment when she saw the scrawny teenage boy in the pizza uniform. "I didn't order a pizza." She said flatly.

"I know, your friend ordered and paid for it." The boy said looking her over, curiosity playing his features as he saw the stitched wound on her collar bone.

Her friend? She didn't exactly have friends at this current moment. "Friend?"

"He also wanted me to give you this." He handing her the pizza box with the daisy and bread sticks on top. "Have a nice night, ma'am."

She stared at the boy's back as he walked down the steps.

When she shut the door she placed the pizza down on her counter and picked up the perfect delicate white daisy. She admired the little flower as she filled up a cup with water and placed it on her counter.

"Weird." She said aloud looking from the flower to the food a few times. Suddenly her stomach became more demanding than her heart as she smelled the greasy food.

The flower was all but forgotten as she pulled out a greasy bread stick. She savored each bite she took, finally aware of how hungry she had become over the course of the day.

She lifted the lid of the cardboard box and eagerly grabbed a slice and bit into it. She actually moaned at the taste and closed her eyes. Chicken bacon ranch pizza was her favorite pizza. She appreciated the pizza and all its greasy goodness, it took her mind off Oliver and her newly acquired scars.

But when she opened her still puffy eyes her gaze caught on an all too familiar scribble of a handwriting on the underside of the lid. His handwriting.

For a moment all she could do was stare at the scribbles. She couldn't process the words.

'I know I did this to you, but you're starting to scare me. You need to eat, you haven't eaten dinner for the past few nights and that's not healthy, Felicity. I know I can't have you, but that's okay, just as long as I don't lose you.'

-Oliver

Her swollen eyes pricked with tears as she reread what he wrote. Several non-coherent thoughts occupied her head at once.

She ignored the fact that he knew she wasn't eating. She ignored the fact that he blamed himself. She ignored the fact that he said he can't have her.

What she didn't ignore was that he didn't want to lose her.

Her gaze drifted toward from the words to the flower that sat in the water.

Her body seemed too heavy, too slow as she plucked it out of the water.

She stared at it as if committing it to memory. She let a finger lightly trace the soft long white petals in awe.

For a long while she debated doing that silly game where you pull off the petals one by one to determine if he loves you. She remembered playing that game a lot when she was little but she soon discovered the pattern; as long as she found a flower with an odd amount of petals 'he'd love her'

She wasn't naïve then and she wouldn't be now.

She smiled to herself.

She smiled because she finally knew how Oliver Queen felt about her.

Diggle was right. Oliver loved her. Maybe not in the way she loved him but he loved her nonetheless.

She made up her mind that night that she wouldn't run. This was her home and she finally had people who loved her, and she loved them.

She finished The Lion King with a small smile on her face instead of tears.

Three days had passed since the night he had bought her dinner. He had stayed longer than he normally did that night and just watched her.

He watched her eat. Watched her read the note. Watched her observe the flower. Watched her smile. Watched that smile on her face as she finished that movie. Watched the color return to her beautiful face. He just watched her.

When he finally laid down for the night he didn't have to drink to numb the pain. It was still there, yes, but it became manageable.

He walked into work talking with Diggle, who seemed to have that grin plastered on his face since they got there.

"When the baby due again?" Oliver asked as he watched Diggle's smile grow bigger.

"Two months exactly"

"I'm happy for you two" and he was, he really was.

The elevator dinged and they stepped out. Digg's smile widened even more.

"She wants it to be a surprise so we haven't found out if we're going to have a boy or a girl."

Oliver felt a tug of disappointment when he passed by Felicity's desk that was occupied by another woman, but kept his eyes on Diggle.

"Ms. Young, could you bring Mr. Diggle and I a cup of coffee." It wasn't a question so much as a request and he didn't try to hide his bitterness around the woman, well around anyone really, except Digg.

Oliver and Diggle continued their conversation as they stepped in his office.

"You know I would Mr. Queen, but it seems as though someone's broken our coffee maker." Her voice was as smooth and teasing as it had been the first time she said it.

Oliver stopped abruptly and turned his head slightly, he swore his mind was playing a cruel trick on him but Diggle's giant smirk told him otherwise.

He turned around completely and looked at her.

He couldn't fathom her appearance here. He couldn't tell if this was all some sick joke.

"She's really here, Oliver." Diggle said softly after a moment.

It wouldn't sink in. She was here? He stood frozen while his eyes blinked rapidly at her.

"Feli-" His mouth opened mid word as if it had suddenly struck him that she was here.

And then he was striding towards her. Seven slow strides and then his coarse hands grabbed her soft face and pulled her body flush with his own. His thumbs were at her pulse points while his fingers burrowed in her hair at her neck.

The kiss was so forceful and rough he worried for a minute he was hurting her delicate body, he was vaguely aware that their noses smacked roughly together, but the groan from the back of her throat further motivated him to keep going.

"… it's me, John. Still here guys."

Oliver couldn't registered Diggle's voice, he thought if he focused on anything other than her and her amazing lips he'd open his eyes and she'd be gone.

And then she was gone.

His eyes opened, brows furrowed as he looked down at her. She was still a breath away and his hands still supported her face.

He noticed now that the bruise that had lived on her face had finally subsided. He also noticed the darkness in her blue eyes. He noticed her swollen pink lips that were turned up in a small smile.

"You are not leaving my side ever again." He growled breathlessly as he wrapped her tiny frame in his arms.

He could feel her heavy breath fan against his chest. "Okay." She murmured.

"You two mush have amazing lungs"

Diggle's teasing voice made him suddenly aware that they were still at Queen Consolidated.

Felicity pulled away first, her cheeks burned a nice pink flush at Diggle's words.

Oliver smiled as they stepped out of the elevator and walked to the front of the building where Digg waited with the car. His fingers wove with hers wordlessly.

His day had consisted of several long dull meetings and optimistic smiles.

"You haven't hooded up since… that night." Felicity said hesitantly as they walked towards the car, she glanced to her right at him as they walked side by side, hand in hand.

"I couldn't go there." He whispered as they neared John.

"Hey, you two behave yourselves tonight." Diggle warned when they got in the car.

"Digg." Felicity and Oliver sighed in tune.

"Tomorrow, after work. Be there." Diggle said smiling as they got out of his car and stood on her sidewalk.

Felicity smiled and nodded. "Goodnight John, and thank you."

Oliver raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Goodnight, Felicity, Oliver." And with that he drove down the dark street.

"And thank you." Felicity said quietly as they walked up her steps.

"For dinner…?" He asked unsure.

She sighed as she unlocked her door and stepped in. "For staying away from me."

"Oh."

"I know it probably wasn't easy-"

"I didn't stay away."

Silence.

"I know." She said smiling sadly. "Why were you watching me?"

"I… I just needed to reassure myself you were still here."

"Why?"

Because you crazy girl, I'm in love with you! "I… It. It was just easier."

She nodded seeing right thru is shit. "Okay but why, why was it easier for you to stay away than to come back?"

He let out a ragged breath. His mouth opened multiple times as he tried to sort his thoughts.

"Don't think about it, don't talk yourself out of whatever it is you want to say, Oliver. Because I deserve the truth."

"Okay." He sighed. "You're right."

"Stop stalling, Oliver."

"It would be easier if you hated me, okay. And I knew if I came back you'd forgive me and I don't deserve to be forgiven. I deserve to be hated! You should hate me!" He didn't even realize he started crying.

"Oliver…"

"I'm scared to love you, alright? I'm scared I'm going to screw it up like I've screwed up everything else in my life. And I thought if I just left you could finally move on with your life and be happy."

"Oliv-"

"I'm in love with you, and I hate being one who keeps hurting you." He said grabbing her shoulders.

Her eyes watered as she looked at him. "I get it. I get that you think we don't get a happy ending. I get that. Because I've thought that. I still think that. Because you're right. The life you lead is only going to end badly. For either you or for someone you love, or both. You and I will never get a happy ending because if either of us die, a part of the other is going to die too. But I love you, and part of me has already died when you left."

It was quiet for a moment as they looked at each other absorbing their words.

"I want to try, if you do." Felicity said hesitantly breaking their trance.

He placed a small reassuring kiss on her forehead. "Let's try." He whispered.