Disclaimer: I do not own Arrow or its characters, DC Comics/WB and CW does, but this plotline is all mine!

Also, I'm terribly sorry for my prolonged absence. I have no excuse except to say that life got in the way, as it often does. So, to make up for my disappearing act, and to thank you for your patience, here's an extra long chapter for you all. Hope you enjoy it. Cheers!

Phase 3: Aftermath

Felicity

Oliver had been seething in anger for a couple of days, snapping at everyone for the smallest of reasons. Oh, and also refusing to talk about it, or communicate in any form, other than glaring at whoever dared to ask him if he was okay. Honestly, Felicity didn't know what to make of it. Not only did he not want to discuss his issues with her, but he seemed to be avoiding her actively nowadays.

At first, she had been hurt, but then his hissy tantrum-prone behavior made her angry, so now she was also-quite righteously-angry at him. And they were back to 'Mister Queen' and 'Miss Smoak' again.

But still, she was concerned about him, about what was going on with him, to make him so standoffish. She had moments where she had been sorely tempted to plant a bug on one of his electronics to find out what was bothering him, but she resisted. Because she trusted him.
In spite of his recent behavior, she knew when he wanted to share, he'd come to her. Or Digg. They were partners, right? So she let him be.

Besides, she had more important things occupying her attention. Roy, for one. What with the help he needed planning his 'please-take-me-back-I-love-you-so-much' dinner with Thea. Felicity had been helping him plan the perfect date for weeks now, and it would have taken place at least a week sooner, if Oliver hadn't bruised his face that badly; or if Roy hadn't gotten slightly banged up after a mission earlier this week.

She had been so honored and excited that Roy had come seeking her help, that she went all mother hen on him, getting him to refine his table manners (and personal hygiene too-let's just say there was a reason Roy wore freshly washed clothes nowadays, and his hoodie smelled of flowery detergent.) And in return, she had gotten a little brother. They had bonded over their mutual love for Austin Powers, and now spent most evenings-free evenings-watching terrible movies and funny game shows together.

Sometimes, Sara showed up, especially on weekends, with her oversized purse filled with different vodkas and tequilas, and she'd set up shop in Felicity's kitchen, and raid her fridge, to make different cocktails which the three of them would taste-test, and get drunk on.

And then there was Thea, who sometimes took Felicity shopping because her legs were apparently made for heels, and Thea knew a few designers (because ,of course she did) who wouldn't mind Thea bringing her friend along to buy some shoes-and hey, a few dresses and cute coats wouldn't hurt either. And she managed to visit Digg and Lyla at least once every week, and spent quite some time cooing over their adorable baby, and chatting with the couple, who were so blessedly in love, it sometimes hurt to watch them together for too long.
Work was pleasant too, and she got to work with a lot of like minded people, and in a capacity that she enjoyed.

So, really, Felicity was enjoying life, and the only thing that could make it better was if Oliver stopped behaving like a wounded tiger, and started being more like his normal brooding, growly self.

Two weeks, she decided.
She'd give him two weeks to come clean, before she charged him, personal boundaries be damned.

Oliver

In reality, it took Oliver just eight days to crack.

He couldn't be near Felicity and not talk to her. He couldn't bear to come down to the lair or go to his office, and not be greeted by her bright smile. And God, he missed her rambling and her unintentional-X rated-innuendos (especially given that most of them revolved around him) so damn much. He'd sought out a hard life to lead for himself, and some nights he thought that Felicity, with all her light and brightness, was the only thing keeping him from going over the edge completely.

And he felt terrible for behaving so immaturely towards her; then again, it was just another notch in his list of crimes against her. She was one of the only people who believed him-who was privy to both sides of him, and still believed in him. She was the first to see him as a hero, and her steadfast belief in his goodness had kept him away from spiraling into the dark for far too many times to count. And in return, he had ignored her better judgment, behaved abominably towards her time and again, and not to mention, broken her heart far too many times…and still, here she was committed to his mission, standing right beside him, so how dare he misbehave towards her, out of petty jealousy?
She was her own person, she made her own decisions, and he was a lovelorn fool, drunk in love with her. She was a constant spot of happiness in his dreary life, and he kept on screwing up time and again, and letting her down.

He'd never taken back the 'I love you' he'd told her all those months ago, and he knew he never would, not willingly at least. And he knew she loved him, and even though he was blonde (and a former fratboy), but he wasn't blonde enough to think she'd wait for an eternity for him. Felicity was…a smart, beautiful, generous woman, and guys (and superheroes) tended to flock around her like bees, so maybe he had missed his chance, and maybe she had 'a thing' going on with Roy, but he knew if she was really serious about the red-hooded vigilante, she would have made a cute, awkward announcement in front of the entire team Arrow-with a lot of hand gestures-just so that everyone was clear on it, and no, she didn't need them to threaten the poor guy. (Parenthetically, it should be mentioned that even in his head, Felicity maintained her affinity for babbling)

So yeah, maybe, she liked Arsenal, but he loved her, and he'd be damned to let his totally-undeserved-self-pity get in the way of her happiness. But that didn't mean he'd let her go without a fight.

It was time, Oliver decided, that Felicity and he had a face to face.

"Don't say-do not say nothing.
The Truth, please."

That night, coming down to the lair, Oliver found it empty. He stood inside the door just for a moment, reveling in the silence and peace that was becoming incredibly difficult to come by, especially these days, what with the Team Arrow expansions.

Roy and Thea were now full-time crime-fighters in Starling, along with the original Team Arrow trio (and the reason Felicity had to order an obscene number of arrows to be shipped nowadays, obviously from different suppliers and contractors, for all three arrow-wielding vigilantes). Sara was a honorary member, so was Nyssa, and they both dropped in time to time, to help along. So did Barry Allen and Ray Palmer, or as they were more publicly known, The Flash and The Atom.

Lyla sometimes came in and helped Felicity with the comms, or Speedy with combat, and her aim with a gun was almost unparalleled, especially in short-ranges, so it was always fun for the other Arrow members to try and beat her (and lose) in target practices against her. Laurel too came by sometimes, with food or intel, whichever was needed when, but her daytime job with the DA office prevented her from taking a more active role in the day-to-day vigilante-ing of Team Arrow. Sometimes, she did spar and grapple with the others, or maybe even box to let off steam, but that really was all of the superhero workout Oliver and Sara were comfortable with letting Laurel do.
And because of all these additions, the 'Lair' tended to be filled with people and chaos nowadays, so this spell of silence was a welcome reprieve.

This all passed through Oliver's mind as he walked through the floor and into the changing room, ready to get into his sweatpants to begin his workout. Just as he was done with three circuits of his endurance training, Oliver heard the lair's door open and the click-clack of heels. Felicity, he immediately realized, by the pattern of her fast footfalls. Leaning upside down from a bar on the salmon ladder, he watched silently as she came into view, humming some pop tune under her breath.

Pushing her computer screen on with one scarlet-lacquer-coated fingernail, she dropped her bag and got out of her heels at the same time, and then took off her coat and threw it over the back of her 'throne'. Still humming, she walked over to the coffee-machine that Laurel had installed in the room last month, after spending a particularly long uncaffeinated night in the lair, the deed making Felicity hug her and almost sob with joy.

Still watching her, Oliver silently jumped down from the bar, landing on the balls of his feet, and then stealthily slinked up till he was standing right behind Felicity. Any noise he might have made got covered up by the whirring sounds of the coffee machine and Felicity's humming.
"We really need to work on your awareness skills", he commented, right in her ear and smiled when she shrieked and jumped.

"Easy", he said cheekily, resting a hand on her shoulder. "It's just me"

"Just me?", she yelled, knocking his hand off and turning around to glare at him. "Oliver! You scared me half to death! You're lucky I wasn't holding my coffee-mug, because if I were, and you made me drop it, I would have been really pissed. I would have stabbed you with this spoon", she said, holding up a disposable spoon. "Not that it is even hypothetically possible to stab someone with it, or that I could stab you, because you're all muscled-up so you're skin probably won't give easily, and also, you could move away and disarm me faster than-"

"Felicity", he pronounced her name slowly, squeezing her shoulder again.

"I was rambling…again", she sighed, closing her eyes and exhaling.

"After I scared the crap out of you, so you get this one", he smiled at her, his eyes twinkling with humor.

"So, you're calling me Felicity again, then", she commented, trying to sound casual as she looked away from him and started to prepare her coffee.

"Technically, you called me Oliver first", he replied cheekily, stepping away when she brandished the spoon at him again, along with a complimentary dirty look.

"So are we going to talk about what has been happening, or shove it under the rug?", she asked him, still intensely concentrating on her coffee-mug.

He didn't reply, just study her with pursed lips for a couple of seconds before she turned around and looked at him. "We're talking, then", she confirmed, reading off the thoughtful expression on his face.

He nodded solemnly, before gesturing towards her working station. "If we're gonna have a serious conversation, you need to go put on a shirt, because all this", she said, gesturing towards his sweaty chest and abdomen, "is very distracting"

"On it", he mouthed with a grin at her matter-of-fact voice, and ambled away to put on a shirt, feeling lighter than he had in days.

When he returned, she was seated at her desk so he pulled up another chair and sat down beside her, facing her. "So..", she trailed off, nudging him to continue.

"Remember when we were on Lian Yu, and you said that the idea of us was unthinkable?", he opened, watching her facial expressions carefully.

"Vividly", she winced, remembering that mostly one-sided very awkward conversation.

"It was", he replied quietly, hastening to speak before she could arrive at the wrong conclusion. "Because I'm all dark and miserable, and you're basically everything that's good with this world. I-I could have become a killer, working on my father's list, but you made me see-made me believe-that there's a better way. The idea of us was unthinkable because I could never be deserving of you…", he trailed off, looking away.

"Oliver, I-I don't know what you're saying", she replied in a soft voice, hating to see him in pain, hating the pain he was dredging up by raising the specter of what could have been between them.

"But then I thought", he continued, looking back at her, right into her eyes unflinchingly. "Maybe my fate could change, maybe I could change, and be who you need, but our one attempt at a date went spectacularly wrong"

"I told you, it wasn't that bad", she interrupted. "And hey, we had a blast", she said lamely, repeating the line she'd said a hundred times since that day, to assuage his guilt and hide her pain.

"Here I am, causing you pain, and you're still trying to spare me", he retorted softly. "And that is exactly why I'll never be worthy of you. You're selfless, your first concern is for others, whereas I only see me."

"Oliver, that's not true. You've saved this place from terrible monsters-Slade, Blood, Vertigo, Malcolm, the League. You've saved them, put your life on the line. No selfish person would do that. Whatever your sins, you atone for them, your pains you suffer in silence. You're a hero", she ended brokenly. "You're my hero"

"I don't deserve you", he repeated, bowing his head.
"Let me be the judge of that", she replied, reaching forward and capturing his hands in hers.
"What about Roy?", he asked lowly, concentrating on the feel of her small, soft hands encircling his larger, callused hands.

"What…about Roy?", she asked confusedly, bamboozled by the sudden topic change.
"What would he think of your…change of heart?", he replied lamely, trying not to spell it out.
"My change of…", Felicity frowned, trying to understand. "Wait…", she paused, her brain flying thousand miles an hour, correlating the exponentiality of Oliver's grumpy mood with her bonding with Roy. "Oh my god! You think…is that…why?", she replied, feeling appalled.

"Felicity, you're not making any sense", he replied confusedly. She-very calmly-extracted her hands from his, and wordlessly reached inside her bag to extract her wallet. Once she had a solid grip on it, she brought it out and started to poke him with it. "Oliver. Queen. You. Absolute. Idiot.", she said, poking after every word. "All this stupidity, because you can't come up and speak to me. You moron. I don't know whether to laugh at you or to hit you. It took Roy for you to talk to me?"

"Felicity! Oww!", he replied, defending himself as best as he could against her attack. Unable to take it anymore, with her next swing, he trapped her hands and pulled her towards him, blocking her attack. "What are you saying?"

"You think Roy and I are dating?", she accused dangerously, wriggling to free herself.
"You aren't?", he replied, half-confused and half-hopeful. "But you're wearing his colour"
"His colour?", she spluttered angrily, struggling against his hold. "Now I can't wear red because it's his colour? Newsflash Oliver, it's also Barry's and Ray's color! Huh", she paused to muse. "Not the best examples, given our history. It's also slightly Nyssa's colour, so are you going to be breaking her jaw the next time she comes to town?"

"No", he replied lamely before going on the offensive. "If you're not dating, then why do you always leave together? And Laurel saw you shopping together! And Thea said you wanted her blessings for Roy!"

"Those blessings were for his date with her", she yelled. Loudly. "The same date I've been helping him prepare for, including shopping. The same date that would have taken place two weeks ago if you hadn't broken Roy's jaw"

In his shocked confusion, Oliver let go of her, trying to figure things out in his head. "Wait, so Roy wants to get back with Thea", he replied slowly. "And you've been helping him plan this date, which is why he was over at your flat so much?"

"Well that, and he's also handy with fixing sinks and stuff. He's like the annoying little brother I always wanted to have", she gestured with her hands. "And we made a ritual out of watching late night TV together on the weekends, sometimes Sara comes by too, and-"

"Sara?", he asked incredulously, starting to just connect the dots.

"Yeah, she makes some mean cocktails", Felicity replied flippantly. "Oliver, what's going on? And why do you look so pale?"

"I just got played", he came to the realization finally. "Everyone's been dropping hints here, implying that you might be dating Roy. Out of context, everything they said sounds normal, but together….", he trailed off.

"Who's 'they'?, Felicity asked curiously, coming to her own conclusions.

"Roy, Thea and Sara.", Oliver said, confirming her thoughts. "It's time, I think, we had a talk with them. What do you think?"

"I know exactly where they are", Felicity replied, grabbing her stuffs.

This was gonna be one hell of an interesting conversation...

That'll be all for now. Once again, so sorry for the long delay, and thank you for your continued love and support. Don't forget to review here! Cheers!