A/N: Okay guys, here is the next chapter. We are fast approaching the end of this story and I want to thank you all for your lovely comments and continued support. Hope you enjoy :D

Chapter Nine

"Are you sure about this, Felicity?" Alex asked, standing in the doorway of her office with his arms crossed in front of him.

Felicity flicked a glance back at him and tried to smile. "It's for the best, Alex."

"I don't agree with that," he said, moving into the room. "So things got out of hand, but you told the truth in the end. No real harm done."

Trying to ignore the pain that came with that statement, Felicity sighed. "Right, no harm done. Except for the fact that I hurt everyone involved. You didn't see their eyes, Alex. Moira looked so betrayed, and Thea… she was devastated."

She chose not to mention Oliver, because that was an entirely different kind of pain that she couldn't ignore.

"They'll get over it. Look, I'm not saying that it's going to be easy, but at least give it some more time before you decide."

Felicity turned to her boss, her friend, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Alex, I have to leave. Tommy is due back today and I'd rather not be here when that happens."

"But you won't even see him! You never did before, and besides, it's been three weeks. I doubt he's holding a grudge for this long."

Felicity didn't respond to that.

"Please think about this, Felicity. I don't want to lose my best employee."

Her mouth tilted up into a sad smile. "You're only saying that because no one else works the hours that I do."

Alex shook his head, his expression fierce. "No, I mean it. You're the best in the whole department and you know that. You can write programs that even I can't wrap my head around. Don't throw it all away because you feel like-"

"Like what? Like I lied to my boss and his entire family? Like I led them to believe that I was a good person? This is the Queen family we're talking about here, I'm lucky enough that I haven't yet been blacklisted from getting another job. But Tommy's returning today and I can't see him wanting me working at his company."

"He can't fire you, Felicity," he said, his stance taking on a protective edge. She loved him for that, but it wasn't necessary. She made this mess, now she would deal with the consequences.

She went back to gathering her belongings and placing them into the white box on her desk. "I can't stay here, Alex. Please don't ask me to."

As always, Alex seemed to know when there was more lying beneath the surface. "In this company? Or the city?"

She shrugged, focusing her attention on her favourite coffee mug. "Both, I guess. I need to start fresh somewhere that isn't… here. It's too hard."

She lifted her head and met Alex's solemn gaze. Pursing his lips, he nodded. He clearly didn't agree, but he at least understood. That was all she could ask of him.

"Don't worry, I'm sure my replacement will be just as good."

Alex scoffed, drawing her in for a hug. "I sincerely doubt that. But you do what you need to do for you. Just remember that you can always call me, anytime. I'm always here for you, Smoak."

Felicity pressed her lips together hard to stop the tears that had gathered in her eyes from falling. "Thanks, Alex."

Just before he let her go, he whispered in her ear. "You are a good person, Felicity. You're one of the best, don't ever forget that."

Before she could respond to that, there was a knock at the door, and Felicity froze when she saw who it was.

"Is this a bad time?" Tommy said, leaning against the doorframe.

Frack! This could not be happening, not when she had been so close to escaping unnoticed. Fortunately, Alex stepped in, half shielding her from Tommy's view.

"Mr Merlyn, so glad to see you back. You look well."

Tommy smiled politely, moving into the room as he offered his hand for Alex to shake. "I'm very well, thanks to Miss Smoak here."

Felicity felt her cheeks heating up at his blatant stare, and she had no idea how to respond to him. What was she supposed to say to the man she'd pretended to be engaged to?

"Yeah, I heard all about that. She's a hero." Alex said, keeping his voice soft but at the same time, daring Tommy to disagree.

Tommy nodded. "I couldn't agree more. Felicity, could I have a moment of your time?"

"Uh…" her breath caught in her throat, strangling her reply.

"I should get back to work anyway," Alex said, moving towards the door. As he reached to close it, he caught her eye and nodded towards Tommy, the warning to be careful evident in his gaze.

Resisting the urge to call him back in, Felicity fiddled with the hem of her shirt. "Can I help you with something, Mr Merlyn?"

"Oh, it's Mr Merlyn now? I would've thought leaving someone at the altar at least put you on a first name basis."

Her mouth dropped open, shock rendering her speechless for a moment. When she finally managed to push that away and suppress the guilt, she grimaced. "Technically, it wasn't an altar."

Tommy's mouth tilted up briefly before he carefully schooled his expression. "Either way, I think the result was the same. Don't you?"

"Uh… I guess so." She hung her head in shame, unsure of what else to say. She couldn't blame him for being angry; she would be if the situation were reversed. Although she liked to think that she would at least give the person a chance to explain.

Tommy crossed his arms over his chest and sat down on the edge of her desk. "Why did you do it?"

The question surprised her because she hadn't thought he'd want to know. He didn't look angry though, he looked… curious.

"I, uh… I don't know why I let it go on for so long. It was wrong of me, and I'm sorry."

Tommy reached out and grabbed her hand. "Hey, Felicity, look at me. I'm not here to vilify you. I'm just to trying to understand what happened. I was unconscious for most of it, remember?"

Pulling her hand back gently so she wouldn't offend him, Felicity took a step back and started pacing. "When I saw that car coming, I didn't think, I just reacted. And then at the hospital… like I said before, it all happened so fast. It was a genuine mix up. Someone thought that I was your fiancée and before I could correct her, your entire family rolled in."

Tommy chuckled. "Yeah, I can imagine that would've been a little overwhelming."

"A little? I felt like I was standing in the path of an oncoming train." She squeezed her eyes shut. "Oh God, not that I'm comparing your family to-"

Tommy held up a hand to stop her. "It's okay, Felicity. Believe me; I understand that they can be overly protective sometimes. Please, continue."

Wringing her hands together, Felicity cast her mind back to that day, the day where her entire life had changed. "I was going to tell them the truth, I swear. But when the doctor gave them the news of you being in a coma, your mother was devastated. That was when Walter mentioned her heart condition, and I… I just froze. I couldn't tell her, not then at least."

Tommy stayed silent for a few moments, absorbing her words. With each second that ticked by, Felicity felt as if she were on trial, awaiting a verdict. When he eventually looked at her, she almost sobbed in relief. He was smiling, not a trace of anger on his face.

"This whole situation is messy and complicated, Felicity. But I don't believe that you intended to hurt anyone. You seem like a really sweet person, from what I know of you. Which isn't much. But I can tell when someone has a good heart."

Standing up, Tommy walked over to her. "That being said, you have to understand that my family has its share of enemies. People who would love tear us down."

"I would never do that, Mr Merlyn-"

"It's Tommy," he cut in.

"Tommy, I know it may not seem like it, but I meant what I said that day. I fell in love with your family. All of them."

Tommy tilted his head and studied her. "You said that you were alone for a long time…"

She nodded, trying to swallow past the lump in her throat. "My father died when I was little, and my mother… well, we don't see each other."

"Ever?"

"No, we don't get along."

He winced. "I'm sorry. But hey, if anyone knows about absentee parents and losing one to death, it's me. I was lucky; the Queens took me in and treated me no differently than they treated Oliver and Thea."

"Thea is a sweet girl; she clearly adores her big brothers."

Tommy smiled widely, his love for his baby sister shining through his eyes. It reminded Felicity of why she'd had a crush on him in the first place. All that seemed like a lifetime ago now.

"She can be challenging, but I wouldn't change her for the world. I'd do anything to protect her, and the rest of my family."

The fiercely protective look he gave her was eerily reminiscent of the one Diggle had had when he'd said the same thing to her. "I know that, but you don't need to worry when it comes to me. I won't be a problem for you anymore."

Tommy frowned as she started placing more of her items in the box on the desk. "You're leaving?"

She huffed out a laugh. "I think it's wise, don't you? To be honest, I'm kind of surprised that you haven't fired me already."

"Look, Felicity, what you did-"

"Was unacceptable, and stupid, and reckless."

"Okay, so maybe it wasn't the best way to introduce yourself to us, but like I said… I don't believe there was any malice in it. You just don't seem like that type of person, and trust me; I've seen a few in my time."

Her composure was slowly abandoning her; she could feel the emotions swirling in her chest, threatening to overtake at any moment. Of course she was relieved that Tommy wasn't here to exact his revenge, but she couldn't get her brain to accept that he was simply okay with what she'd done either.

"How are you so calm? I lied to your entire family, I hurt them. I've never done anything like it before in my life, I don't like hurting people. But I let it carry on for so long and…"

Tommy let out a soft breath as she fell silent. "Felicity, do you want to know how I know you're a good person? That you didn't really mean to let this happen?"

Crossing her arms in front of her, she held herself in a tight grip, feeling as if it was the only thing keeping her together at that moment.

Tommy had clearly noticed that because he stepped forward, raising his hands to gently grasp her upper arms. "I know because right now, I feel like you are punishing yourself way more than I ever could. That tells me a lot about who you are deep down."

"Still, I am sorry, Tommy," she whispered, staring into his eyes.

"I know, but you don't need to be anymore." He let go of her and stood back, still watching her closely. "I get the feeling that there's something more going on here though. Do you want to talk about it?"

She frowned. "About what?"

"About the elephant in the room," he said with a light chuckle. When she didn't react, he rolled his eyes. "Oliver!"

Felicity winced, hating that his name alone had the power to make her feel even worse. She hadn't seen or heard from him in weeks, and she missed him. "There's nothing to talk about."

"You love him."

"I do, but that doesn't matter anymore, does it? He's never going to forgive me."

Tommy winked at her, that boyish charm she'd initially found so attractive, once again making its appearance. "I wouldn't be so sure about that."

"I am."

Something in her tone must've warned him off because he held his hands up in surrender. "Okay, fine. Look, I know you don't really know me all that well, but if you do ever want to talk, you can always come to me."

She squeezed her eyes shut to keep her tears at bay. She'd done enough crying over the past few weeks to last a lifetime, and she didn't want to make Tommy feel uncomfortable. "That's so sweet, thank you."

Tommy nodded, his eyes once again glancing at the box on her desk. "Are you really sure about this?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. I can't stay here with all the whispering and the stares. It's too hard." No one really knew the truth, but the news of their engagement and subsequent break-up had been the talk of the office for weeks now. As far as they were concerned, she'd broken their employer's heart by walking out on him, and they clearly didn't approve. She had expected that from some of the women, the ones who never hid the fact that they wanted him. But the disgusted stares from some of the men had surprised her.

"Where will you go?"

She shrugged. "I don't know yet. All I know is that Starling City is not the place I want to be right now."

"I understand," he replied softly. Reaching out hesitantly, he drew her into a hug. "And hey, if you need a recommendation, I'll be happy to give you one."

Tommy Merlyn truly was an amazing man, she hadn't been wrong about that. She hugged him back, taking solace in his arms for a few moments. When she reluctantly pulled away, he patted her arm and walked towards the door.

"Thank you, Tommy."

She smiled when he threw her another wink, feeling a little lighter. "Take care of yourself, Felicity."


Oliver cursed as another bottle shattered, spilling tequila all over the counter. It was the third thing he'd broken in the last fifteen minutes, and his patience was about to break too.

"You won't make much of a profit if you break everything, Ollie," Thea said, taking a seat at the bar opposite him. He'd been so preoccupied with his own thoughts that he hadn't even heard her come in.

"What do you want, Thea?"

She snorted. "Nice to see that bug's still up your-"

"Thea!" Oliver slapped a hand down on the counter. Her eyes widened and before he could feel bad for making her jump, she shot out of her seat and grabbed his hand.

"Are you crazy?" she yelled, turning his hand palm side up. Truthfully, he hadn't even felt the shards of glass pierce his skin but the blood made it look worse than it was.

He yanked his hand out of her grasp. "I'm okay."

Thea tilted her head and gave him a look that was half-sympathetic and half-furious. It was a look only his mother could master and Thea had clearly learned from the best.

"Ollie, what's going on with you? You've been working here too much lately, barely coming home at all."

After removing the last shard of glass, Oliver grabbed a dry dishtowel and wrapped it around his hand. "My manager is out sick; I have a lot of work to get done. Is there a reason you came by?"

"Mom's worried about you," she replied in a soft voice. "I am too. You've been so distant since… well since the wedding that never was."

Oliver took a deep breath and released it slowly. The familiar stab of pain that radiated throughout his chest whenever he thought of that day was still just as sharp. "Everything's fine, Thea. There's no need for anyone to worry about me."

Thea shook her head as she sat down again. "You're such an idiot."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. You're an idiot. Ollie, for five years we all thought you were dead. When you came back, it was like we were finally alive again."

"Thea-"

"No, listen to me. When Mom finally gave up hope, when she decided to lay you and Dad to rest, I was so angry. At you, at Dad… at the whole situation. Because you left us. You left me."

Her quiet whisper on that last sentence made him feel awful. She was only twelve when he'd disappeared, and before that, they'd been so close. He didn't want to think about what she'd gone through in his absence.

"But underneath that, I just couldn't bear the thought that you might've suffered. That you might've been in pain. So now, when I see that you're hurting, which you clearly are, I want to be able to help."

Oliver sighed and reached over the counter to grab her hand. "You do help me, Thea. Every day."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Then why can't you let me in? If this is about Felicity-"

"It's not about her," he said, pulling his hand back so fast that she blinked in surprise.

"You can't even say her name, can you? Look, I know what she did was awful but…"

Oliver grabbed a clean towel and began wiping up his mess. But his sister refused to drop the subject.

"I was angry at her too, you know. For a long time, I couldn't believe that someone could do that. She seemed so nice."

Oliver shrugged. "People are rarely what they pretend to be on the surface."

"Do you really believe that?"

Yes, he did. He'd seen it first-hand over the years; he'd been betrayed too many times to believe otherwise.

Thea shook her head. "I don't think it's that simple, Ollie. Life isn't black and white."

"No, it isn't. But a person's actions tell you more about them than what comes out of their mouth. Some people can't hide their darkness."

He knew he sounded bitter, and that Thea had also noticed it. But talking about Felicity was harder than he wanted to admit. Her betrayal still stung, but what hurt the most was wondering if anything she'd told him was the truth. All the intimate things she'd confided in him now made him wonder if he knew her at all.

"I don't think Felicity is like that, Ollie," Thea said, drawing him back to attention.

When he scoffed, Thea raised a hand. "No, I really believe that. I think deep down she's a good person. She was just… I don't know, lonely I guess."

"She should've told the truth in the beginning. Then none of this would've happened."

Thea pursed her lips and nodded. "True, but then again, if she had… we would never have gotten to know her."

Oliver's eyes narrowed. "How do you even know if that's who she really is?"

He still couldn't bring himself to say her name. Even thinking it made his heart clench painfully.

"I just know. I saw her face when the truth finally came out, how terrified she was to tell us. But when she looked at you…"

Oliver blinked, his breath catching in his throat. "What?"

Thea gave him a warm smile and covered his hand with her own. "I could see that she's in love with you."

He squeezed his eyes shut. "We all thought she was in love with Tommy, too. Look how that turned out."

"Look, I know I'm only seventeen, and you probably don't think I know what I'm talking about, but trust me, that girl loves you."

He had no idea how to respond to that. When Felicity had said those words, he'd been so happy. But like everything else in his life, it had crashed and burned when she'd revealed the truth.

Thea stood up and grabbed her purse. "Maybe you should go and talk to her. It's the only way you'll get any answers."

He shook his head. "I have nothing to say to her, Thea."

"Suit yourself," she said sadly, turning to walk away.

"You said you were angry at her. Does that mean you aren't anymore?"

His little sister looked thoughtful for a moment before responding. "No, not anymore. Felicity isn't some vindictive gold-digger. If she was, she would've gone through with the ceremony. Getting to know her… we became close. I really felt like I was gaining a sister."

"So how can you just forgive her so easily?" Oliver wondered, genuinely curious.

Thea shrugged. "I know what it's like to be lonely, Ollie. And I have a family that I love and adore. Felicity doesn't have anyone. That kind of loneliness eats away at you. Makes you do things that you would never normally do."

"I don't think I can let it go that easily."

"You were alone on an island for five years, Ollie. I would've thought if anyone could understand loneliness, it would be you. Look, I'm not asking you to forgive her just yet, but you should talk to her. I think that she could give you something you haven't had for a long time."

"And what's that?"

"Happiness."

Oliver let out a painful breath, but didn't reply. She got all the way to the door before turning back to look at him. "I just think that you'll always regret it if you don't at least try. I'll see you at home, and please, take care of that hand."

After she left, Oliver returned his attention to the broken bottle on the counter, his palm now stinging. He really should see to that. Grabbing the first aid kit, he got to work, Thea's words still ringing in his ears. But he had no idea what he would even say if he did go to see Felicity. He was still angry with her; he couldn't just erase that as if it were nothing.

But what if Thea was right? What if Felicity really did love him? He shook his head, cursing his own thoughts. If she loved him, she would've told him the truth. But she let her own fear get in the way; she betrayed him and his family.

Even if he could forgive her, he doubted that he would ever be able to trust her again. No, it was better this way. He just needed to find a way to get her out of his mind. Unfortunately, that was something easier said than done. Felicity Smoak had crawled her way into his heart, and he didn't know how to get her out.


By the time Felicity made it back to her apartment, it was after lunch and she was starving. After saying a final goodbye to Alex and a couple of other co-workers she'd become close with, she was feeling a little down in the dumps. That called for ice cream, and lots of it.

She dumped her box of belongings down onto the sofa and shrugged out of her jacket, draping it over the back of a chair on her way to the kitchen.

She'd just placed the carton on the counter when she heard a soft knock on her door. She sighed, glancing down at the inviting tub of mint-chocolatey goodness. "I'll be back for you, my love."

As she made her way through the living room, the knock came again, followed by a voice that had her groaning out loud.

"Felicity, hey open up, I know you're in there. I just saw you come in."

Throwing open the door; Felicity was greeted by the sight of Cooper looking rather serious, with his hands tucked into the pockets of his pants.

"Cooper, what's up?"

"Is it true that you're leaving?"

He looked so upset at the prospect that Felicity didn't have the heart to tell him the truth. "Who told you that?"

"Dad told me, he said that you gave him a week's notice."

Felicity sighed, leaning a hip against the doorframe. "Okay, yes it's true. I'm sorry Cooper. But I want you to know that I will miss you, you're a good friend."

His eyes took on a wet sheen and for a second, she was afraid that he was going to burst out crying. Instead, he sniffled and straightened himself up. "Listen, Felicity, I just want to say that…"

"That what?" she pressed when he fell silent.

"I'm uh, I'm sorry that it didn't work out with that guy. And uh, right now, you should take some time for yourself and get in touch with your inner child or something…"

Felicity couldn't help but chuckle at that. "What are you talking about?"

"Just, you know, get in touch with your feminine side. And uh, don't start eating cookies and cake and stuff like that because you'll blow up like my Aunt Roberta, you know?"

His pep talk was incredibly sweet, in a bumbling kind of way. But when he took her hand and stared into her eyes, she could see the sweet man beneath all the jokes and innuendos.

"You're better than that, Felicity. If he can't see how great you are, he doesn't deserve you."

Swallowing hard, Felicity nodded. "Thank you, Cooper. So uh, how's it going with Miss Third Floor?"

"Oh, she's…" Cooper smiled and nodded, pressing his thumb and forefinger together in an OK gesture, but when his face crumbled, Felicity saw tears gather in his eyes.

"Oh, Cooper." Surging forward, she wrapped an arm around his shoulders and ushered him into her apartment. "It's gonna be okay."

"Mm-hmm. Do you have any cookies?"

Felicity squeezed his shoulder as she closed the door behind her. "No, but I do have a lot of ice cream."

"Fudge-mint?" he asked, glancing at her with watery eyes.

"Even better. Mint chocolate chip."

He turned to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm really going to miss you, Felicity."

As he drew her into a tight hug, Felicity closed her eyes. "I'm going to miss you too."


Early the next morning, the sun was just beginning to rise when Oliver finally arrived back at the Foundry. It had been a long, frustrating night, and not even leaving a couple of criminals outside the police station had improved his mood.

It had only gotten worse since his conversation with Thea yesterday, because all he could think about was Felicity. Deciding to let her go was the hardest thing he'd ever done. But the right one, he'd told himself repeatedly.

Trudging down the stairs, his senses instantly alerted him to the fact that he was not alone. Drawing his bow, he nocked an arrow and slowly walked forward, stopping just behind the steel med table.

"Don't move," he growled, aiming his arrow at the back of the chair in front of the computer station. As the chair slowly began to turn, he wondered for a second if Felicity had come back.

"Is that any way to treat your own brother?"

"Tommy," he said, pushing his disappointment deep down as he lowered his bow. "What are you doing here?"

Tommy, looking fresh and ready to face the day, held his hands out. "I thought it was about time I came to see what you actually do at night. I gotta admit that this is more than I expected."

Oliver hummed as he sat down and moved his head from side to side to stretch out his neck. He'd taken a few hits during the course of the night, nothing he couldn't handle, but he was sore all over and in desperate need of a hot shower.

"So you were out all night?"

Cracking one eye open, he nodded at Tommy, who, to his surprise, actually looked concerned.

"You're being careful though, right? And by that I mean, you're not taking any unnecessary risks?"

"No, I'm just trying to make the city a little safer. You don't need to worry about me. I'm pretty sure we've already had this conversation."

Tommy rolled his eyes. "Jeez, can't a guy even be slightly concerned about his brother when he goes out fighting bad guys every night? It is every night, isn't it?"

Oliver shrugged. "There's a lot to be done in Starling."

"Uh-huh. And I'm sure none of this has anything to do with recent events."

Stripping out of his black gloves, and then his jacket, Oliver made his way over to the training dummy behind the computer station. Tommy twirled in his chair, watching closely as Oliver delivered blow after blow. He stayed silent until Oliver paused to take a breath.

"So I guess asking you if you're still angry is kinda redundant now, huh?"

Oliver sighed as he turned back to face him. "What do you want, Tommy?"

"I don't want anything. I just came to see how you were doing, and clearly, I couldn't have picked a better time. Have you even looked in a mirror lately? You look like crap."

"You're over reacting, I'm fine."

Tommy stood and crossed his arms over his chest. "Oh I think this is just the right amount of reacting, Ollie. You're pushing yourself too hard. You can't keep this up. Sooner or later you're going to have to-"

"Tommy-" Oliver pointed a finger at him in warning.

"-deal with what happened!" he yelled. "Ollie, you're killing yourself here, and Mom and Thea are worried sick about you."

Oliver scoffed and turned back to the dummy, feeling the tension in his shoulders as he punched away.

"Have you seen Felicity since that day?"

"Nope, why would I?"

"I don't know, I thought maybe you'd want to fix things with her."

Stopping again, Oliver leaned his forehead against the dummy, the rough wood digging into his skin. "There's nothing to fix. There never was."

"Oh, that's good. So you won't mind if I ask her out for myself then?"

Oliver's head shot up so fast he went dizzy for a split second. The mere idea of Tommy dating Felicity for real was enough to make him nauseous.

Of course, he couldn't say that. So he shrugged instead. "Do what you want."

Tommy grinned and clapped his hands together. "Awesome. I think I'll ask her out to dinner, something intimate and quiet. Romantic."

Oliver clenched his jaw, refusing to rise to Tommy's baiting. "I'm sure she'd love that. Just don't go proposing to her too soon. At least wait until after dessert."

Tommy clutched a hand to his heart dramatically. "You wound me. Hey, do you think she'd like Italian?"

"I have no idea what she would like." That was a lie and they both knew it. The image of Tommy and Felicity sitting alone in a romantic restaurant had Oliver gripping the handles of the dummy so tight his knuckles turned white. He could see it so clearly, her smile as Tommy ordered her favourite wine, her eyes sparkling in the candlelight.

"Hmm, okay well… I guess Italian is a safe bet. I might even invite her back to my place after… for a nightcap."

Oliver knew that Tommy was goading him, trying to get a reaction, and the worst part of it was that it was working. The wood groaned beneath his palms, his injured hand throbbing painfully.

"Do you have her number? I want to call her. I guess it would still be on file at work but that seems a little unethical."

A loud, sharp crack filled the air as the wood snapped clean off the dummy.

"Dammit." Oliver muttered, shaking his bandaged hand to relieve the sting.

He glared over at Tommy, who was still grinning, and Oliver felt the urge to hit him instead.

"Fine," he said breathlessly. "You win. I don't want you to date her."

Tommy tilted his head. "See? That wasn't so hard was it?"

"It doesn't change anything, Tommy."

Tommy let out a long-suffering sigh and sat back down. "I went to see her yesterday."

Okay, that had his attention. "Why?"

"I wanted to talk to her, find out why she did what she did."

Oliver didn't care, it was done, and there was no going back. Why should the reason behind it make any difference? But still, he couldn't stop himself from asking. "And did you?"

"Sort of, I mean, she didn't really have a reason. It was all just a huge misunderstanding that got out of control. It wasn't her fault, Ollie."

Oliver rolled his eyes and returned to his workstation, pulling his chair out so that he could sit facing Tommy. "I understand that part, what I don't understand is how she could lie for so long."

Tommy nodded, his expression serious now. "I think that in the beginning, she panicked, didn't know what to say. When Walter told her about Mom's heart condition, she didn't want to make it worse so she kept quiet. After that, I guess it all spiralled. Come on, you of all people should know that secrets have a way of snowballing. You keep a pretty big one from the people you love, too."

Choosing to let that little dig go, Oliver focused on what he was saying. "She didn't have to pretend, she didn't have to make the effort of getting close to everyone. It was all a show."

Tommy's eyes narrowed into slits. "Getting close to you, you mean."

"That's not what I-"

"Hey, look I get it. She kept the truth from all of you and you feel betrayed. But Oliver, did you ever stop to think that this is hurting her as much as it is you?"

The truth was, he didn't want to think about that. Because he remembered the look on her face before he rode off on his bike. The sorrow and regret in her eyes had stayed with him, making him feel awful, and in turn, that made him even angrier.

"You want to know what I think?"

"Not really."

"I think," Tommy carried on, ignoring him. "I think that you let your guard down with her, you let her see a part of you that you thought you'd lost after the island. And I think that makes you angry. Because she made you vulnerable."

"You're talking out of your ass; this has nothing to do with me. This is about her, about her secrets and-"

"And how do you think she'd react to your secret?"

"She already knows," Oliver blurted, grimacing as Tommy's jaw dropped.

"Explain."

Leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees, Oliver sighed. "It was an accident; I never wanted her to find out. I got hurt one night, pretty badly, and she was waiting in the alley behind the club in her car. She helped me inside and stayed while Digg fixed me up."

Tommy was stunned. "So she didn't freak out? Threaten to turn you into the cops?"

Oliver thought back to that night, to waking up and discovering her in the Foundry. She'd been shocked, but not entirely surprised. But her concern and genuine kindness had surprised him. "No, she just… accepted it. Actually, she even helped out a little, fixed up my computer system."

He felt a small smile pulling at his lips as he remembered the way she'd reacted to it. "Apparently it hurt her to see it like that. So she upgraded everything."

"Wow," Tommy murmured. "She really does love you."

Oliver frowned, his smile fading. "No, she doesn't. How can you lie like that to someone you love?"

"You know, if I thought I could actually achieve it, I would punch you so hard right now."

The glare his brother sent him made Oliver's temper flare. "Give it a try."

Tommy sighed. "Look, I don't know what happened between you two when I was in my coma, but I have eyes, Ollie. I see what this is doing to you; and I've seen what it's doing to her."

He leaned forward, mirroring Oliver's pose, leaning his elbows on his knees. "Do you love her?"

The question caught him off guard. "I don't really know her."

Tommy looked down at his hands. "When we were younger, we had a lot of fun with women, and that was great, but there was nothing in it. It was simply… fun. We never let ourselves get too involved. But that day in the sunroom, I saw something."

Oliver groaned, seeing where this was heading. "Tommy-"

"On the way home from the hospital, you seemed antsy about something. I left it alone because I thought you'd just had a bad night here. But at the mansion, when you saw her, you were almost cold towards her. I couldn't understand why, because Felicity is a sweet person."

Yeah, she was, Oliver thought. But all that changed the minute the truth came out.

"When she walked into the sunroom, your eyes never left her. And the further she got down the aisle, the more your mood soured. So when I ask if you love her, please don't insult my intelligence by telling me that you hardly know her."

Oliver rubbed at his forehead, closing his eyes against the image of Felicity walking towards him that day. He didn't want to love her; he didn't want her to have that kind of power over him.

Except… she did.

Without warning, his mind dredged up the conversation he'd had with her, right there in the Foundry, when she'd asked him to give her a reason not to marry Tommy. He'd wanted to tell her not to do it, that he wanted to be with her. That he could love her the way she deserved to be loved.

But could he? Did he really deserve someone like Felicity Smoak? Could her light really counteract his darkness?

"It doesn't matter if I love her, Tommy," he said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I can't be with her."

"Why not? Because of this?" he asked, gesturing to the lair around them. "That's ridiculous. She knows about all of it, and she still stayed with you. She still helped you."

"How am I supposed to forget what she did? How can I ever trust her?"

Tommy scrubbed both hands down his face in frustration. "You're just using that as an excuse to stay away from her, Ollie. Deep down you know that she never meant to hurt anyone. I think you're scared to let her in because it's easier to be alone."

Once again, images ran through his mind, of all the times she berated him for not taking care of himself. The way her skin felt against his when she'd changed his dressings. Hindsight was a beautiful torture, because now he could see how much she'd shown that she cared for him.

She cared.

He'd never let himself think about a future with her because he'd always believed she was in love with Tommy. And there was no way he would ever do that to his brother. But maybe Tommy was right, maybe he was just afraid that she would see how damaged he was, and run the other way screaming.

Tommy reached out and clapped him on the shoulder. "You should go and see her. Talk to her. And if it makes you feel any better, you have my blessing."

It did make him feel better, actually. It might've have all been fake, but he'd never wanted to betray Tommy like that.

"I wouldn't know what to say to her, Tommy."

"Well," he said, glancing at his watch. "You'd better figure it out because she's leaving."

Oliver's heart lurched in his chest. "What do you mean she's leaving?"

"I mean, she packed up her things, quit her job, and is possibly leaving the city. She's been beating herself up pretty badly about this whole situation, Ollie. She feels so guilty for misleading us."

Oliver stood up so fast that his chair rolled back and slammed into the table. "Did she say where she was going?"

Tommy winced as he got to his feet. "No, sorry dude. She was pretty upset. But hey, I saw her yesterday so chances are she's still in Starling."

Oliver nodded, determination rushing through him as he headed for the stairs.

"Um, Ollie?" Tommy's voice stopped him halfway up. "Do you think maybe you should get changed first?"

He glanced down at his green leathers and cursed. Rushing back down, he grabbed his jeans and quickly changed into them, muttering something under his breath.

"What? I didn't catch that, buddy."

"I don't want to lose her," he said a little louder.

"Then don't, idiot. Go!"

"Thanks, Tommy." Heart hammering inside his chest, Oliver raced up the stairs and out into the daylight, making a beeline for his motorcycle.


By the time he'd reached her apartment, his hands were shaking. What if he was too late? He raced up the stairs and knocked on her door.

"Felicity?" He knocked again after there was no answer. "Felicity, it's Oliver, please open the door."

After the fourth knock and subsequent silence, he could no longer trick himself into thinking that she wasn't answering simply because she didn't want to see him.

He reached for the door handle, surprised when it twisted in his palm and the door swung open to reveal an empty apartment.

"She's not here," A voice said behind him. He turned around to see Cooper standing on the step below him, an angry expression on his face.

"Do you know where she is?"

"Haven't you hurt her enough? She left because of you."

Resisting the urge to haul this guy up against the wall, Oliver blew out a breath. "I need to talk to her, so please, if you know where she is, tell me."

Cooper studied him for a long moment, and then shrugged. "I don't know, she didn't tell me. She just said that she needed to be anywhere that wasn't Starling City. Nice job, by the way. Felicity's the nicest girl on the planet and you ran her out of town."

Oliver tried hard not to let his words get to him, but it was useless. Cooper was right. And he clearly cared a lot about Felicity if the anger swirling in his eyes was any indication.

"When did she leave?"

"Why should I tell you?"

Oliver's hands balled into fists at his sides, but he pushed the anger down. Felicity would hate him for sure if he hurt her friend. "I promise that I am not going to upset her, I just really need to talk to her. I need to make it right, so please… when did she leave?"

Cooper drew in a long breath, and then released it slowly. "She left about four hours ago. Said she was catching a plane but didn't say where to. That's all I know."

"Thanks, Cooper, I really appreciate it."

He didn't wait for a response as he ran down the stairs two at a time, and back to his motorcycle. His heart beat a frantic pace in his chest as he rode back to the Foundry. He had to find her. Cooper said she was catching a plane, so hopefully he'd be able to do a search for her name and find out where she was heading.

Kicking up his speed as he raced through the city, Oliver berated himself. He'd been so stupid ignoring her for the past three weeks. Tommy was right, he was in love with her, and he couldn't deny it anymore.

Now, he only hoped that he would have the chance to tell her face to face.

To Be Continued...