After an hour of briefing the team, pacing the floor, and worrying about Felicity, Oliver stepped in their bedroom to find her sleeping peacefully. He fought the urge to cuddle up next to her and shut the door on his way out. He collapsed on the couch, his whole body exhausted from the events of that morning.

"Here, eat this." Donna handed him a slice of pizza that Roy had ordered earlier.

He chewed it mindlessly, and when it was gone he looked to the woman fidgeting uncomfortably on the couch across from him. "What did you mean by 'This isn't the first time'? I have a feeling you were speaking literally."

"I was and I wasn't." She sat in a pensive silence for a couple minutes before looking to him and continuing. "I have quite a few years under my belt, as you can imagine. Even tried my hand at dating once or twice since I left Damien… those men were only interested in one thing, and it wasn't something I was willing to give up easily. Felicity. After the third date, when I thought everything was going great and I might actually have the opportunity to be happy again, they would start pushing about 'When am I going to meet your daughter?' and 'Where does she go to school? Maybe we could pick her up someday' or 'My cousin would gladly watch her for the weekend while we go to Havasu.'

The thing was, I rarely ever mentioned her. I am extremely guarded when it comes to her and had mentioned her only once or twice. They were fixated, and that's when I knew it had to be Damien's doing. He was trying to get at my baby through me and I was not going to let that happen, so I called off all the relationships when they got too insistent. They were confused, but eventually most of them went their own way without much of a fight. This one guy though, Roger, he took it a bit… harsher… than the rest. He became overbearing and borderline violent. I was truly afraid for the second time in my life. He would show up at the casino and sit in my section. If I would switch areas with someone; there he was. I even went so far as to request a schedule change, or to work the VIP area only and he still found a way to harass me.

That's when I asked my brother for some help. He helped me file a TRO by falsifying a few small things here and there and for a while, Roger had disappeared. I remember the relief I felt, not having to fear going to work or letting Felicity ride the bus to school…" She smiled sadly. "Not three weeks later, right as my world started to feel normal again, Roger was waiting by my car after work." Donna paused, the memory making her voice shakier than she wanted. She wrestled for the strength to speak smoothly and detached, as she always did when it came to recalling that night.

Oliver waiting patiently for her to regain her footing, and only a few minutes had passed when she started speaking again. "He was sweaty and shaking. This angry smile stretching his cheeks too wide. He had said I looked good for an old hag, and that my 'B' of a daughter and I had missed the opportunity of a lifetime with him… When I started telling him just where he could shove his 'opportunity of a lifetime', he unzipped his jacket. Eight little pipes were strapped to his stomach and…" She took a deep breath and shook off the tears that were threatening to fall. "Anyway, one of my coworkers had seen him in the parking garage and went to get security. They must have seen the bomb on the feed because they made it there only seconds after he had unzipped. One of the officers pulled me behind an SUV while the other tried to talk him down. Roger took off running toward me, but he tripped and accidently set off the device before he could get close enough to kill me. I walked away with some shrapnel wounds and small third and second degree burns.

So other than some rather ridiculous plans that never came to be, that is the first time something, or someone, ever blew up in my face." She shuddered out a laugh and rubbed her upper arms attempting to fight off the internal chill.

Placing a hand over one of hers, Oliver spoke. "I am sorry you had to go through that, and this may seem insensitive, but do you think your brother would have any information on this Roger? If he was connected to Darhk, we could uncover a whole trove of information."

"I know he would. I can call him now and see if he can't pass it to your boss."

"That would be great, Agent Diggle can give him all the information he needs to get ahold of the director." When Donna stood, so did Oliver. "You know that by pursuing this new lead, you are going to need to tell this story to Felicity, right?"

"I know. I just wish this is one of those times she was acting like she was asleep but she was really listening to the whole thing…" They both looked toward to bedroom door. When there was no movement Donna whispered "I am really worried about her."

Me too, Oliver thought. He placed his hand on her shoulder with reassurance and turned to his team (who were currently acting like they hadn't listened in on the entire conversation) "We need someone in the crime lab helping them sift through the debris and giving us up to date information on the bomber and their handiwork. Also, I need two of you to start on the outskirts of Henderson, working your way to North Vegas, searching for storage units Dahrk might have owned. Look for all his known aliases and ones that seem similar."

"He went by Noah Kuttler when we were married." Donna chimed in.

"I can call Iris," Barry suggested, "She has sources everywhere, and might be able to find more details faster, especially with Cisco and Caitlin."

Oliver nodded in agreement and with that, the team dispersed, looking for the smallest clue to lead them to the missing kids.

Hours later Felicity finally stirred, her eyes dry and overly sensitive (which was saying something) and her throat scratchy. If this is what it was to be "normal" she could do without. After a few minutes of sitting on the bed in a fog, she walked listlessly to the en suite bathroom and rinsed her face, attempting to wash away the cobwebs. She realized that the face rinse wasn't going to wake her up nearly enough, so she started the shower.

The sound of the water hitting the tiled shower wall drowned out the ambient noise that was always driving her to the brink of insanity. She stood beneath the near-scalding heat, letting the water beat the tension from her body and the haze from her mind. Her mind raced over the events of the day, trying to problem solve with minimal facts was only leaving more questions than solutions. It was only when she realized her hands were getting pruny that she shut off the faucet.

She stepped out of the shower and into the steamy bathroom, wrapped herself in the hotel's luxurious robe, twisted her hair into a matching towel, and proceeded to brush her teeth. So what if it was almost dinner and her stomach was yelling at her? She was finally feeling human again (or as close as she gets at least). Her eyes no longer burned and her headache was only a horrible memory. Feeling miles better she went to the bedroom to get dressed and join the others in the main living area.

She stopped short when she saw Oliver standing just inside the closed door, rubbing his thumb and forefinger together in that adorable nervous way he has. She let herself enjoy the sight of him for just a moment before reality dragged them back into its all too firm grip. He exuded strength and confidence even when he was worried or unsure, he was safety personified. His shifting stance and furrowed brow made her smile to herself.

"Are you alright? I've been worried. We've been worried. Your mom says you've never been sick. You slept for hours. Should we get an ARGUS medic here? Maybe Caitlyn?"

"I am much better now, Oliver. Diggle is probably right, it's probably just the let down from the adrenaline rush. No need for a doctor. How long was I out?" She looked down, questions furrowing her own brow, "I woke up feeling like I ate sand. Or like I dipped my entire head into the sand like some sort of ostrich. Though I know they don't actually…" She took a breath and looked up from her own fidgeting hands to see his smile. "I am good. If I start feeling anything like that again, you can call Caitlyn. Deal?"

"Deal."

As they stood there smiling at each other, Felicity slowly came to the realization that she was wearing just a robe and a towel. Her eyes darted to the bed and back to him, and her heart started racing. She must be feeling better because she was beginning to have many ideas about how to get full use out of that large mattress. He seemed to sense her train of thought because his smile dropped, his eyes went half-lidded and he took a step toward her, matching her own determined steps. They met, not with a crash, but with a caress.

He cradled her face, tilting her chin upwards, and searching her face for the answer to a silent question. Her hand stroked his stubble, she bit her lip, smiled and gave him a nod. Yes, I am ready. He took a steadying breath and grinned.

"Later." He promised. "When we don't have half the agency in the hotel room with us." He sealed that promise with a tender, lingering kiss. They parted when Felicity's towel fell to the floor. Barry, Iris, Cisco and Caitlyn are looking at all the self-storage places between North Vegas and South Henderson. If they find anything suspicious, they'll let us know. I'll leave you to get dressed." He backed toward the door his hands lingering on her until she was out of reach. "And there is almost an entire spread of Big Belly Burger out there. You might want to hurry before Barry gets back and eats it all."

Her stomach growled in appreciation, drawing a chuckle from them both. Food was just the right motivator. She was dressed in record time.