Chapter 7: The Illusion of Peace

"You'll be okay," Thea said reassuringly as she placed her hand over Felicity's. "I'm sorry about whatever happened to you. I shouldn't have been so hard on you and Ollie yesterday. I didn't know what you two had been through."

"It's… It's okay," Felicity stuttered. She really didn't know what else to say. She just knew she suddenly felt very uncomfortable lying in bed wrapped only in a towel. Glancing up at the younger Queen, she tentatively asked, "Thea, can you help me with something?"

"Yeah, sure, what's up?" she replied.

"Um, I'd really like to get dressed before Oliver and Doc come back," Felicity said as she slowly sat up, tugging the towel and the blanket with her. "I grabbed some clothes from the closet earlier, but I don't know where Oliver put them."

Thea stood up and glanced around the room. Her eyes settled on the other side of the bed. "These?" she asked, reaching over and holding up the black sweats and white tank top.

"Yeah," Felicity nodded.

"Do you need me to actually help you get dressed or…?"

The question hung in the air for several moments as Felicity lowered her eyes. As much as she hated asking for help, the pain in her shoulder made it impossible not to. Nodding again, she replied, "Only with my bra. But if it makes you uncomfortable…"

"Don't worry about it. I got you," Thea answered.

"Thank you," Felicity gratefully said as she turned around and slowly began slipping her arms into the white straps, her right arm first slowly followed by the left. About halfway up, she felt Thea's fingers pull them up the rest of the way before clipping the bra at her back. "You're a lifesaver."

"Don't mention it," Thea replied with a smile when Felicity turned around, the towel now lying in her lap. "Do you need help with anything else?"

"Maybe my shirt, but let me see if I can do it myself first," Felicity answered as she slipped the flimsy garment over her head. Using the trick Oliver had showed her, she managed to pull the left sleeve down far enough so her shoulder would bend minimally.

"Looks like you're good," Thea said before turning around and heading to the door. "I'll let you finish getting dressed. Yell if you need anything." She shut it behind her and Felicity was alone again.

Quickly shimmying into the white cotton underwear, she grabbed the black sweats and began to throw them on when she realized she needed a new bandage for her stitches. That could wait, Felicity thought before hopping back into bed just as someone knocked on the door. Her head shot up towards it. "Are you decent?" she could hear Oliver say behind it.

"Yeah, I'm dressed," she called back. The door opened and he entered followed closely behind by Doc.

"You look better," Oliver observed as he sat down on the edge of the bed where Thea had been earlier and reached for her hand.

"I feel better," Felicity replied with a weak smile. And she was now that he'd come back. Their fingers laced together as she leaned against him, her head coming to rest against his shoulder.

"So, Felicity, tell me what happened," Doc said, choosing to stand as he set his bag down on the bed.

"I'm pretty sure it was a panic attack, based on what I've been told panic attacks feel like," she replied, squeezing Oliver's hand for support. "Um, shaking, shallow breathing, feeling scared to death, flashbacks of everything that happened the other night…" Her voice trailed off as she glanced up at Oliver. He nodded, letting her know Doc had been filled in on some of the more important details so she wouldn't have to replay them and risk having another attack.

"Definitely sounds like a panic attack to me, but it also sounds like you might be suffering from post traumatic stress," he surmised. "Oliver told me about what happened before you arrived here. I had a feeling what I saw in the diner last night had something to do with it as well." Doc pulled a pad of paper out of his bag and wrote something down before tearing it out and handing it to her. "I'm giving you a prescription for Xanax to help get you through another attack, but I would rather have you see a psychologist. PTSD isn't something you take lightly."

"Yes, sir," Felicity said, glancing over at Oliver with a knowing look. He returned her gaze before his eyes fell to their interlocked hands.

"How are you other injuries doing?" Doc asked.

"About the same," Felicity shrugged.

"Good," he replied. "I'll be on my way then. Thea made it seem much worse than it actually was. Still glad I came though." Doc put away his notepad and grabbed his bag. Before heading out the door, he said, "Liv made you guys some fresh muffins and other goodies in case you were hungry. I left them downstairs on the kitchen counter."

"Thanks again, Doc," Oliver replied as he stood to shake his hand. "Sorry if we've been bothering you."

"It's no trouble at all, Oliver. Gave me a good excuse to come out here before Liv started bugging me about it. You two have a good day now." With a soft smile and a nod, Doc was out the door and headed downstairs.

"Did I hear him say muffins and other goodies?" Felicity asked. Her stomach growled at the prospect of eating food.

Oliver grinned at her. "I'll go get you something before Thea eats them all."

She curled up in bed and snuggled into the covers as she waited for him to get back. It only took Oliver a few minutes to return with a full plate of everything ranging from blueberry muffins and red velvet cupcakes to brownies and cookies and two bottles of water.

"Did you just grab one of everything?" she asked, her eyes widening at the large array of pastries he waved in front of her.

"Two."

"Then I want both red velvet cupcakes." Felicity sat up, the covers falling from her shoulders as she settled herself in a sitting position.

Oliver handed her the plate and placed the water bottles on the comforter beside her before making his way to the other side of the bed. The light breeze that blew over her as he brushed past made Felicity shiver. As he settled into the other side of the bed, she placed the plate between them and tugged the blanket closer.

"Are you cold?" Oliver asked as he glanced at her.

"A little," Felicity replied. Without a word, he unzipped his hoodie then proceeded to help her slip into it. "Thank you," she said. It was about three sizes too big for her tiny frame, but it was warm and comfortable. She huddled into it, Oliver's scent enveloping her as she slipped the hood over her wet hair and sat back against the pillows.

Reaching down and picking up one of the cupcakes she'd claimed earlier, Felicity peeled back the wrapper and took a bite. Her eyes rolled up as she moaned in pleasure from the taste of the cream cheese frosting mixed with the moist cake. "Oh, my god… This is divine," she breathed, taking another bite.

"I can't even begin to tell you how much I've missed Liv's baking," Oliver replied as he took a bite of the double fudge brownie he'd grabbed. "Oh, yeah, just like I remember," he added before devouring the rest of it in one bite.

Felicity smiled as she swirled her finger in the frosting of her cupcake and licked it off before taking another bite. Yes, these were heavenly and probably the most delicious cupcakes she'd ever had. Liv was definitely a spectacular baker. They'd have to pick up some more of these goodies in the coming days.

They spent the next half hour tasting their way through each pastry until the plate had been nearly licked clean. Taking a sip from her water bottle, Felicity inched her way back down the soft pillows as her eyes became heavy again. She tried to stifle a yawn, but Oliver noticed it anyway. He took the bottle from her hands and placed it on the nightstand beside her glasses.

"Go to sleep," he said, tugging the covers over her shoulders.

"But I don't wanna," Felicity weakly protested through another yawn.

"Are you afraid the nightmares might come back?" Oliver asked, giving her a knowing look.

Her head immediately shot up to look at him and gave away exactly what she was thinking. Nodding, she replied, "Yes."

What happened next stunned her into silence. Oliver wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to his chest. Before Felicity knew it, he had enveloped her in yet another warm embrace, her head falling beneath his chin. "I told you I wasn't going anywhere," he whispered as his hand came up to cradle the back of her head. "Go to sleep, Felicity."

"Only if you promise to sleep with me," she mumbled. Even in her exhausted state, Felicity knew when she'd said something stupid. That had been, by far, the worst thing to come out of her mouth since the casino incident. Squeezing her eyes shut, she added, "I don't mean sleep with me, I mean fall asleep with me, as in close your eyes and get some rest sleep with me. And I'm way too tired for this right now…" Another yawn caught her off guard, but this time she didn't even bother trying to hide it.

Thankfully Oliver chose to ignore her little ramble and instead stroked the back of her head through the hoodie. Felicity relaxed into his chest, her left hand coming to rest below her chin as she huddled into his warmth. She sighed deeply and his scent enveloped her. He smelled of eucalyptus and mint vaguely mixed with the treats they'd eaten.

"Oliver?" Felicity murmured as sleep began to take over her senses.

"Hmmm?" he mumbled back, obviously just as exhausted as she was.

"What if the nightmares come back?" The apprehension came out clear in her voice as did the slight tremble of fear.

Oliver held her a little tighter, slipping his hand beneath the hood so it stroked her neck. "I'll be right here," he reassured her then placed a soft kiss to her forehead.

"Okay," she barely whispered as her forehead came to rest just below his chin.

And for the first time since they got to the cottage, Felicity fell asleep with relative ease. When she awoke that afternoon, she found herself sprawled out across Oliver's chest, her ear pressed to his heart listening to its steady rhythmic beat. His arms were wrapped around her waist, holding her against him as he continued to sleep beneath her. It didn't even occur to Felicity that this was a strange position to be in as she nestled herself beneath his chin, her legs tangling with his looking for more warmth.

Oliver sighed in his sleep, his arms tightening around her in response as he buried his face in her hair, the hood of her sweatshirt having fallen back some time ago. She reveled in the warm safety of his arms, finding serenity she hadn't felt since before the fall of the Glades. As sleep made her eyes heavy once again, Felicity found herself stretching out over his broad chest, unashamed of using his body as her pillow.

But the peace didn't last long. The door flew open and Thea rushed inside. "Oliver!" she cried, startling them both from their slumber. He bolted upright, his arms tightly wrapped around Felicity as wild eyes scanned the room ready to attack. When they settled on Thea and assessed her as not being a threat, he relaxed, letting go of his hold on the trembling blonde and beckoned his sister to step closer.

"Thea, what's wrong?" Oliver asked, still slightly jarred by her unexpected entrance. One of his arms remained around Felicity, holding her close as she tried to calm down by taking several deep breaths.

Thea simply held out the phone she'd been holding to her chest and he took it. "Hello?"

"Ollie?"

Felicity could hear Laurel's voice crack as she spoke his name and knew exactly what was about to happen. She wrapped her good arm around his waist and pulled herself against his side in hopes of keeping him calm. Of all the things they needed right now, this wasn't one of them.

"Laurel." It came out as a breath, one Oliver seemed to have been holding a while now.

"It's… um… Tommy," she sobbed, unable to keep it together.

Felicity could see it was becoming harder and harder for him to hold onto his poker face. The emotions were swimming in his eyes as she looked up at him and suddenly felt her heart sink in her chest. His muscles coiled almost as if he was about to jump at any moment. She could feel the tension beneath her fingertips as she tried her best to soothingly stroke it away.

"What about Tommy?" Oliver asked through gritted teeth. His voice carried the emotions she found in his eyes and hoped he wouldn't bolt the first chance he got. But this was Oliver Queen, the master of avoidance. It was going to take a lot more than her arm around his waist to keep him from leaving her side.

"He's… He's… gone!"

Feeling her throat tighten hearing Laurel's gut wrenching sobs over the phone, Felicity looked up at him to find the pain written all over his face. This wasn't a show he was putting on for his sister. It was genuine and heartbreaking, and she couldn't hold back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes when she saw it. Her arm tightened around his side, but it wasn't enough to hold him back. Oliver was bounding out of the bed, the phone having dropped to the mattress beside Felicity's empty hand.

"Oliver?" Thea whimpered as he brushed past her. "Oliver!" She sprinted out of the room after him and Felicity followed far behind. Thea and Oliver were both down the stairs well before she could even get out of bed and put on her glasses, but she could easily hear their voices. "Oliver, where are you going?" Thea asked, but she got no answer. As Felicity hobbled down to the last step, she saw him throw open the door and run out into the pouring rain in just a t-shirt and sweats.

"Oliver!" Thea was sobbing as she watched him sprint down the road before he was out of sight. She sagged against the doorframe as Felicity came up behind her.

"Thea!" Felicity said as she wrapped her arm around the younger woman. "Thea, come here."

She turned into Felicity's embrace and buried her face in her shoulder. "Where is he going?" she cried into the soft fabric of the hoodie.

"He just…" Felicity sighed. She really didn't know what to tell the younger Queen. When Oliver didn't want to be around anyone, his usual instinct was to train until his body gave out. But this was a new setting without the comfort or safety of the foundry. Lord knew where he was going or what he'd do. This was Felicity's worst nightmare coming true, and she had no idea how to stop him or bring him back.

"I think he needs some time to process," she finally replied, her eyes falling on the empty road, praying that Oliver would come back soon. She was beginning to realize now that whatever had happened to Tommy, Oliver had been there to witness it and it was tearing him to pieces.

Silently vowing to help him through this just as he'd helped her, Felicity kicked the door closed and led Thea to the couch. She'd deal with Oliver when he came back. Right now his sister was her primary concern.