They arrived on the third floor, the top floor and where Matthew's office had been in what seemed a lifetime ago, when Matthew saw his wife standing at the end of a very long, dark corridor whose walls were still mainly standing. He only realised it was her from her silhouette as a small stream of daylight lit up the immediate area around her. He swore he could see someone outside of the window, hanging there, as Felicity seemed to hand something over.

"Jessica," he whispered and Michelle froze.

"No," she complained at the sight that she could see, too, and then she started to reach for something in the waistband of her trousers. It took him only a second to realise what it was.

"Felicity!" he shouted and Michelle growled at him. He moved towards her, wrestling with her arms as she fired her gun.

"What are you doing?" He demanded, his hands clamped around her arms and holding them tightly in place. "Where the hell did you get a gun from?"

"I'm protecting our family," she cried. "I got it from your parents just in case she turned up. I knew she'd find a way to ruin this, to stop you from leaving with me. We can come back for Jessica, I promise!"

"You're fucking crazy!" he breathed out, secure in the knowledge that his daughter was safe so he no longer needed to play along; the rest of the world be damned.

"What?" she stumbled back a step, her arms relaxing and he let go of her. "I did all of this for you."

"I never wanted you to."

"Yes, yes, you did." Still holding the gun, she launched herself at him in anger. Matthew's mind clouded as he felt something hard and metallic hit him on the temple; his world spun.

ARROW-HOOD-QUEEN

Managing to quietly take two steps at a time until he hit the third floor, the sound of the commotion and where he assumed Michelle had taken Matthew from his brief checks on the other two floors, Oliver sped up when he heard Matthew shouting Felicity's name and then a gunshot. When he burst out onto the top floor, his eyes were drawn to Matthew and Michelle having a fight about twenty metres to his right. Scanning around for Felicity, he saw her off in the distance near a window, walking hesitantly towards all of them. There was no sign of Jessica.

There was a loud thud that brought Oliver's attention back to Michelle and Matthew. He watched as Matthew slumped to the floor and Michelle stood up straight, pointing her gun at Felicity. "You bitch!" she yelled. "You ruined everything, my whole entire life. He was supposed to be mine. This was supposed to be my family. You've ruined everything."

For a split second, Oliver's attention was taken from Michelle to the noise behind him as Lance suddenly burst through the door from the stairs, his gun already out. "Put the gun down!" he commanded, slowly approaching the crazy woman. Oliver started to slowly step backwards towards Felicity when there was an aggravated scream and a second gun shot. Lance immediately ran in the direction of Michelle and Oliver looked over at Felicity who stumbled back a step and then another step, she never noticed the large gaping hole in the floor; Oliver did.

ARROW-HOOD-QUEEN

The gunshot rang out, a strange sound after all of the years, and Felicity stepped backwards once and then twice, as if distancing herself from it and then, on her third step, she realised too late that there was nothing beneath her foot. Her momentum carried her over and she slipped down, falling backwards. It took only a moment before she felt arms around her, turning her in a split second so she was falling face down, her eyes only able to see Oliver's chest directly in front of her as he held her close. Whilst it did minimise the impact, she still felt it as he hit the next level down's floor, rolling them two complete turns so he still ended up on the bottom as the momentum stopped them. She took a second to breathe, to hear his heartbeat underneath her ear and know that they were both alive before she closed her eyes in relief and then pushed herself up. His arms still around her waist stopped her from moving too far.

"Thanks," she whispered into the darkness.

"Next time I tell you to wait outside…" he grumbled.

"Sorry. I… I got Jessica out."

"Good."

"Are you… are you okay?" she asked finally and his arms suddenly released her. Shakily she got to her feet, awkwardly because of her skirt and heels, and then held a hand out to him. He took it but only as a show as he used his free arm to actually push his weight off of the floor.

"I've been hurt worse," he admitted with a few groans as he stretched out his legs and twisted his body around slightly. They were still holding hands.

"Thank you for everything. Today. For Jessica. For me."

"Come on," he said, beginning to lead her off in a direction she assumed would get them out of the building. His senses were always far better than hers. The only place that she could not get lost in was a computer mainframe. He kept hold of her hand, or perhaps it was her that kept hold of his as they made their way through the entire building and neared the entrance. Before they stepped into the light beaming in through the large door-less entryway, she glanced up at him. He refused to look down at her, gently squeezing and then releasing her hand instead.

She walked out to find her daughter.

ARROW-HOOD-QUEEN

Letting her walk out into the daylight, back to her family that perhaps was not quite as perfect as he had imagined, Oliver felt like he was letting her go all over again. All of those years ago, when he had been too wrapped up in hating himself and seeing only darkness within him, falling into Sara and away from her over and over in an attempt to not hurt anyone else, he had released Felicity into the light. He had encouraged her to find a life outside of him, to walk away from the darkness that he brought everywhere. He had seen her start shrinking, like a flower would without daylight, as she continued in his life. He had watched her dwindle in personality as his mother's secret tore at her, as his relationship with Sara tore even harder. He had seen her become infected by the darkness that had infected him, Sara, Diggle, too many people that he had known. So he had set her free. He had released her from being his EA, promising her that she could return to IT, but she chose to leave. He had probably encouraged it. Then he had started to encourage her to leave their night job, she needed to exist in the daylight and not in his darkness.

He had never wanted her to walk away completely. He had never wanted her to walk away at all, but he knew it was the best thing for her. She could have a normal life with Matthew. Many times Diggle had tried to speak with him, to reason with him that he was only hurting himself by pushing her away, by continuing in a cycle of pain with Sara, but Oliver knew it was better that he hurt than her. Until they had defeated Slade and she had turned up. He allowed himself to step into her light for that one night, knowing that it could be nothing more and trying to never think about it after. The guilt of that night had played so strongly within him – guilt over Felicity's marriage more than him betraying Sara – that he had proposed to the girl who was more his twin than a lover.

He never had stopped thinking about Felicity though and he knew, as she walked out into the daylight physically and figuratively, that he never would in some way.

Standing up straighter to give an air of bravado, Oliver followed her out of the derelict building and passed everyone that was standing there. An ambulance had arrived, gathered at the back of it were Matthew, his head in a bandage, Felicity and Jessica. The little girl's parents were holding onto her as if for dear life. Lance was standing there talking to a few officers as Michelle was dragged into another cop car, screaming and screeching about being a better mom, that she belonged with Matthew. Oliver shook his head and continued past everyone, heading to his motorcycle.

"Hey." Oliver turned to see Matthew standing there, his wife and child momentarily forgotten. "I just wanted to say thank you."

"No problem. I didn't do much." The dust covering his back had probably given it away that he had done something to help Felicity, but he had not done anything aside from assemble the people who found Jessica's location.

"I guess," he sounded hesitant. "It's also what you didn't do." Shoving his fists into his trouser pockets, Oliver questioned him with a look on his face. "When you found out, you could have gone all gung ho about Jessica." Oliver nodded, his lips tight. "When I hit you, you could have hit me back."

"No," he shook his head. "No, I couldn't have."

"Thanks, is all, for helping my… my family." Oliver waited for Matthew to turn and walk away before he then continued to his motorcycle; Diggle was already there.

"You okay?" Diggle passed him his helmet and Oliver took it, climbing on to his bike, but keeping the helmet in his hands. He watched as Matthew reached Felicity and Jessica by the ambulance, capturing them both in a hug.

"She's safe. That's all that matters."

"She's your daughter." Oliver glared at Diggle who held his hands up. Oliver's eyes flickered back to the happy family. "And she's the woman you love."

"Which has never mattered," Oliver responded quickly. A lot of the things he did or had done for Felicity were because he loved her. The only thing he had ever done for himself because of his love for her was keep her at an arm's length.

"Do you really think she's going to work things out with him? After all of this?"

"He'll still be Jessica's dad." And I'll still be the same guy with a dark soul, damaged and broken and far from what a child needs.

"You're not that bad of a person, Oliver. You need some happiness, too."

Taking one last look at the family that were still hugging each other desperately, Oliver put his helmet on and drove away part of him wishing that he could have what they had.

ARROW-HOOD-QUEEN

Fighting the urge to remain standing where she was, Felicity drew herself up straight from leaning on the doorframe to her daughter's bedroom and with incredible hesitancy, went downstairs into her kitchen, gladly accepting the hot cup of tea from her husband. Jessica had been asleep for three hours, but they still both kept checking on her. Every thirty minutes and it seemed to be like clockwork, check the doors were locked, check all of the windows, double check Jessica's window and then watch her sleep. The watching her part had started to become shorter in time. She sat down at the kitchen table with her drink whilst he remained standing near the kettle, leaning backwards against the worktop, his cup in his hands.

"So," they both said at the same time and then they smiled awkwardly. Everything had changed since that morning, but it all still felt incredibly similar. "You go," Felicity offered.

"Were you ever in love with me?" There was no anger in his voice, nor was there hatred. It was not a question to begin an argument, simply to discuss the truth and get the long hidden secrets and facts out into the open.

"I thought I was. In love with you that is, because I do love you." She sighed and sipped her tea. "When did you realise that I didn't feel like that?"

"I think I knew. Probably from the beginning, but you made all of the right choices. You kept putting me first so I figured you must be in love with me."

"I tried. I really, really tried. I think, for a while there, I fooled myself into believing it."

"But not the night you went to him?"

She bristled despite the innocence in his tone. "I still can't remember how I turned up at his that night. I only went to check that he was okay, QC had been attacked, do you remember?" He nodded at her. Slade Wilson had launched his final attack, had lost his life, along with many innocent people, and she had needed to see Oliver. She had been part of the Slade-Mirakuru story and needed to be a part of its ending. It had never been her intention to sleep with Oliver that night. She had just needed to see him. "I don't know what happened."

"I think we both know what happened." Guilt stabbed through her at how calm he seemed. They had both seen this coming. "Did you know, that she was his?"

"Not immediately," she shook her head. "I hoped she was yours, but then I saw her and I knew."

He paused and Felicity could only imagine what the man she loved was thinking, or how much he was hurting. "Did you ever think of telling him?"

"No. I promise you, no." She remained silent until his eyes met hers. "And not because I was scared of what he would do, or because of what it might do to us, but because Jessica is your daughter. No matter what happened, that night or the months after. No matter what I did or what you've done. No matter what happens now, you are Jessica's father."

"What does happen now?" She had never heard him sound so vulnerable and scared, it broke her heart.

"I figure our marriage is done for." Forcing a smile, she could not help the tears that welled in her eyes and he nodded at her, tears filling his eyes, too. "I mean, we're not in love. There's the whole Michelle thing."

He nodded his head, his eyes on his cup as she watched him. Part of her wanted to hate him for cheating on her, but she knew that they had both simply been going through the motions with their life together. How could she blame him when he had known she was not in love with him? "I am sorry," he whispered.

"For cheating or cheating with a crazy woman who kidnapped our daughter, knocked you unconscious and tried to shoot me?" His eyes shot to hers in apology, but he laughed slightly when he saw the smile on her face. "I don't blame you. I haven't … seen him in years, but I guess, mentally, I've not been here with you. I was with him." She was not only admitting it to him, but also herself for the first time.

"I have one request." She looked up at him. "Whatever you feel and whatever he feels, don't go running to him. Don't pretend like the last five years haven't happened. I don't know the guy, and I hope he is playboy rat who has no desire to be a father, but that isn't what I saw and he will want to be her dad. But don't rush everything and don't erase me."

"Matthew," she objected, pushing her chair back and almost running the short distance across the room to him. She pulled him down into a hug. "I have no idea what's going to happen. But she is my first and only priority. I have no idea what role Oliver wants, part of me could care less, and you are her dad, forever, no matter what happens with Oliver."

"It's just…" he mumbled into her shoulder. "He's a freaking billionaire. What daughter wouldn't love a daddy that can buy her everything?"

"A girl whose daddy has been there every day of her life so far and given her all the love she needs. Anyway, she's four, how much can you really spend on her?"

"I don't know," he joked. "She loves her shoes just like you do. That's enough to bankrupt anyone."

Felicity laughed and pulled away from him, kissing his cheek as she did so. "I might go check on her again." He nodded as she stepped away and then left him swiping at his eyes. She had no idea how it was all going to work, but she strangely had faith that it would. Checking Jessica's bedroom window for the umpteenth time, Felicity paused as she thought she saw movement in her neighbour's tree. It was probably the wind, but Felicity felt somehow reassured by it and not concerned. Smiling, she let the curtains fall closed again and turned to watch her daughter sleep. Everything would work itself out.