By the time he reached Felicity's street, Oliver's blood was pounding in his ears and his fingers were clutching the handlebars of his bike in a death grip. He forced himself not to imagine all of the different ways she could be hurt or suffering at that very moment, even as he sped along the row of brownstone houses with their neat, well-kept gardens.
The evening had darkened considerably since he left the lair and most of the homes along the street were lit up brightly, but when he finally laid eyes on Felicity's house everything was ominously dark. A cold feeling settled in his gut, which only intensified when he saw the blacked-out van parked in front of her driveway.
"Digg, they're already here," he breathed into his comm unit, his throat rough with apprehension.
"I'm right behind you," came the terse reply.
Oliver was off his bike and through Felicity's door in a second, noticing the broken lock even as he raced into the house, bow drawn and arrow nocked. He moved silently through the vacant living room, his heart thumping louder with every step. The whole house was deathly quiet. He reached the empty kitchen and found a still steaming mug of coffee and an open laptop left unattended on the table. The back door was open, swinging gently in the evening breeze. He was through it and into the back yard like a ghost, just in time to see a large man in black clambering over the rear fence and dropping out of sight. Knowing it was too late to put an arrow in him Oliver cursed and sprinted across the yard, vaulting the barrier easily to land in the back garden of the neighbouring home. He caught sight of the man again, running towards the corner of the house, and a second dark shape in front of him already disappearing out of sight.
He drew and put an arrow in the first pursuer's leg, dropping him to the ground. The man yelled and struggled to get up, just as Oliver reached him. He clubbed the guy across the head with his bow, knocked him out, and continued running without sparing him a second glance. He had to find Felicity. Every second he couldn't see her was making him more frantic, even as years of training channelled his emotions into his body, driving him tirelessly forwards.
Oliver rounded the corner of the house at full speed and raced towards the narrow street, avoiding gardening tools and toys strewn across the lawn. A flash of blond hair under a streetlight caught his eye and then he saw her. She was on the other side of the road, her back towards him, the second man close behind her. An intense fury gripped him as he realised she was limping, even as he paused to launch a second arrow straight into her pursuer's shoulder. The man yelped and swore, turning awkwardly to face Oliver.
Felicity turned at the same time, the light falling across her face as she looked behind her. Oliver saw her eyes widen as they met his, a rush of emotions chasing the fear and pain from her face. He thought he saw her say his name. And then the other man was on him, swinging wildly despite his injured shoulder. Oliver landed an easy blow and was already launching a second when bright lights suddenly sliced across the roadway.
He heard Felicity call him and instinctively rolled to the side, just as the black van skidded to a stop alongside him. A door opened and the injured man clambered in, gunshots slamming into the vehicle's side as it pulled away. The van sped off and Oliver was instantly on his feet, hurrying towards Felicity. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Diggle emerge from the garden of the house behind him, gun drawn and ready as he scanned their surroundings.
Oliver stopped awkwardly in front of Felicity, desperately wanting to touch her but unsure how she would respond.
"Are you ok?" he asked, his tone gentle. "You're limping. Did they hurt you?"
Felicity shifted uncomfortably, keeping her distance and folding her arms across her body in an almost defensive manner. "I fell getting over the fence. I would have gotten away otherwise. I have security cameras on the house and I saw the alerts on my laptop when I got back."
Oliver felt himself smile, feeling a now familiar sensation of pride. He wanted to ask why she didn't answer her phone, but was afraid he knew the answer. But still, even that didn't explain why she hadn't gotten the alerts until she got home. He frowned, knowing something was off, but didn't want to push things by asking. She was safe now, and that was all that mattered.
Diggle crossed the street towards them, shooting Felicity a reassuring smile. "You ok?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks John," she replied, answering his smile with her own. Oliver felt his heart clench at the warmth in her tone, and the marked difference in her attitude towards the other man. He found he couldn't take his eyes from her face, as if needing to make sure that she was really there and he hadn't lost her.
"I have the first guy you downed," Diggle said, turning towards him, "and Detective Lance and the SCPD are on their way." Oliver nodded.
"You shouldn't be here when they arrive," he said softly, moving closer to Felicity.
She looked from him to Diggle in confusion. "Why not?"
"Dangerous people are after you, Felicity. We need to get you somewhere safe. You can fill Detective Lance in later, but right now we have to get you off this street and out of sight."
He could already see people beginning to poke their heads out of doorways, alerted by the gunshots. He saw Felicity accept the sense of his words, her brow furrowing. "I have some friends I can stay with."
"Not a chance." Oliver didn't even think before he spoke. All he knew was that there was no way he was letting her out of his sight. "You're coming home with me."
Felicity's eyes widened and she opened her mouth to protest. Out of the corner of his eye Oliver saw Diggle tense. But then the other man surprised him.
"He's right, Felicity. We don't know how much they know about you yet. And even if they do somehow link you to Oliver, nobody knows where he lives now."
He glanced at Oliver. "You got that apartment under a fake name right? To avoid attention from the media? And you're paying for it with some of your old ARGUS accounts?"
Oliver nodded, his eyes still fixed on Felicity's face. Diggle placed a hand on the girl's arm, his tone reassuring.
"He can take care of you, Felicity. You're safer there than anywhere else."
Oliver watched her hesitate and then, finally, nod. "Ok, good," he said, trying to conceal the conflicting emotions surging through him. He glanced at Felicity's injured leg. "You guys stay here, I'll grab my bike and come back before the SCPD arrive."
He flashed Digg a look of gratitude as he moved past him but received a warning glance in return. "Be careful," Diggle muttered under his breath, and Oliver knew exactly what he meant.