Sorry this is so late! I'll try to be a bit quicker next time. Thank you so much if you're still with me.

Oxygen

Oliver couldn't breathe. The water in his lungs felt like acid. He wondered if he was dying – and if he was would it matter? He couldn't think without oxygen. But despite the pain and the darkness starting to encroach on his vision he could hear a voice calling him. He recognised it straight away.

"Hold on Oliver, its ok. You're going to be ok. You aren't now, but you will be," Felicity whispered in his ear.

Oliver wanted to answer her, but he couldn't move. And his mouth was full of water. Why was she here? Was she safe? He needed her to be safe. That was important.

"Survive," His father shouted in his other ear, and Oliver wanted to shout back that he would, he needed to, but he could feel himself slipping away.

Then he could breathe. He was pulled out of the water, gasping as air rushed into his burning lungs. He started to choke out the water, coughing it up, but before he could expel it properly he was forced back down into the bucket and the world was once more endless agony.

"I know this is painful. But you're like totally good with pain. I don't mean that you don't feel it, or that you like it. I mean I know you don't like it. You aren't into BDSM. I'm not saying that at all. But if you are that's totally fine. I'm going to stop talking now-" Felicity babbled in his ear. He wanted to tell her not to stop, he wanted her voice to hold onto. He was fine. He would be fine. Just as soon as he could breathe. Just as soon as he could breathe.

He was pulled out and the air was more painful than the water; he was almost grateful when he was forced back under mid breath; the water was already in his lungs. Maybe he could just stay in the cool bucket, with Felicity whispering in his ear. The pain was part of him. Felicity had always understood that. Maybe that was why she was with him now.

He wondered why Sara wasn't in his thoughts (or hallucinations). But then he remembered. He loved Sara in a way. But they couldn't be together. But in the pain he couldn't recall why that was. He tried to remember, but all he could think of was air and water and the burning.

He needed to surface or he was going to die. He was going to die. He couldn't breathe he was going to die and he didn't want to and he couldn't breathe and he needed to breathe where was the air he needed to breathe-

"Don't panic Oliver," Felicity whispered. "You won't die. Just hold on. We will find you."

Then the water was gone. He was in the foundry, Sara staring at him with resignation on her face.

"I love you Ollie, but not enough. We both know what we have isn't enough," Sara said bluntly. He wanted to reply, but there was still pain and he didn't think he could speak. Sara didn't care, she went on regardless.

"You want to walk in the light, to pull away from the shadows. You need somebody who's warm, who's able to love you openly. The two of us – we can never be. I'll always care about you, but we can never be."

"I don't understand," Oliver finally got out, but it didn't feel like him speaking. Then he remembered – this was what he had said, not what he wanted to say now. "Why now?"

"Because I know there's someone else for you. And I know you know it too. You're just too afraid to let her in. With me it's easy – you know we aren't going anywhere, that we won't be permanent. With her you know it could be a real honest relationship. And I think that terrifies you," Sara said with a small sigh.

Oliver remembered then. That had been the morning before this had all happened, before the endless pain. But before he could think of it he felt air in his lungs and jerked upwards, into the real world. He was on the filthy floor of the warehouse, soaking wet and gasping in oxygen desperately. He weakly lent over onto his side and vomited, the watery bile spilling out. He braced himself for the water again but it didn't come. So he kept choking out more of the water, trying to get it all out. The coughing was agony against his broken ribs, but he couldn't control it. It felt like he couldn't control a lot of things in his life at the moment. The metal cuffs keeping his arms wrenched behind his back and his held together were testament to that. He didn't even have his green pants anymore – they had been taken long ago. But his lack of clothing was only a concern to him warmth wise. He had learnt long ago that with torture there was no point in having pride – a big part of it was humiliation. Embarrassment was not important. All that was important was not giving up the information. So he focused on that goal and rode out the pain, letting it wash over him and accepting it. He reminded himself that this was necessary, that he was here in Laurel's place. That made it worth it.

Having pulled himself together Oliver measured the room for opportunity. But there were three men who were at the peak of their fitness whereas he could barely stand. Walking would be a challenge – the bottom of his feet were a wreck. He wasn't sure but he thought that a couple of his toes could be broken. Plus the cuffs would make it a challenge even without his poor physical condition. This was not the time for the break out; he needed it to be when there was someone of value in the room; taking a hostage of his own would be his best bet. Or when they un-cuffed his feet.

Appreciating that this was not the time for an escape, Oliver let himself drift off to his 'happy place'. He left the warehouse behind and drifted away, Felicity's arms wrapped gently around him.

It's looking like this could be an Olicity story, but things aren't settled yet! Please carry on voting on who you want Ollie to end up with. Even if you don't want to vote please, please let me know what you thought in a review!