2015 - Starling City

There was no time.

The effects that she KNEW would come, they'd hit her immediately when she'd appeared in two thousand fifteen. So far, she had been managing, but Felicity was certain that part of that was her determination not to fail...the thoughts that she used to motivate her to push herself and continue. Felicity felt so weak, but she knew that she was stronger...

During her flight from New York to Starling City, all she'd done was think about what she was going to say and how she was going to convince herself…or anyone. She wouldn't have the time to make sure that she could get herself alone. If Oliver or Diggle or Sara were there, then THAT was who she was going to have to convince. There was no being choosey and she KNEW that she could trust any one of them to do it. They all had futures at stake…children…and Felicity KNEW that none of them wanted to go through the pain or horrors that she had faced and that still haunted her. They HAD to know, though, so she'd written a letter addressed to herself. It was all she could do to focus on the plane and to make sure that she wouldn't forget anything when she actually made it to the Foundry.

She was almost in awe as she was taxied through the city. It had been SO LONG since Starling City had looked like this. It was night and the city was lit up and it was breathtaking and beautiful. She never remembered it being so beautiful. It was so odd, how much you took for granted…until it was taken away from you.

"Are you sure this is the place?"

"I'm sure," Felicity told him and was thankful that she didn't have to worry about money. The Stark's private jet staff had made sure that a car was waiting when she arrived and there would be no worrying about a taxi driver, this man actually worked for Stark Industries. She waited until they drove off before she turned to Verdant. She just hoped that her codes would work and she'd be able to get in. Felicity was fairly sure, and from what she could see it seemed to confirm it, that Verdant was closed at the moment. Thea was gone from Starling City.

"Please believe me," she whispered to herself as she nervously stared up at the sign.

. . .

2015 - Foundry

It had taken her a while to actually go in, but then she'd reminded herself that she didn't have much time. She was practically on borrowed time as it was. Slowly, she'd gone down into the Foundry, the codes had worked to get her in and everything. Her hair was down, in an effort to conceal herself while outside in the world. She had to be careful. When she'd first gone down the steps, she'd thought that she was the only one there. The lighting was dim and it just screamed that no one was working. Felicity had immediately thought that that was odd and then she'd seen him.

Oliver.

He was dressed in his green leather, but no mask or hood. When he turned to her, he seemed surprised. Felicity wasn't sure exactly what kind of surprise, but she knew she was about to find out. He looked so young…so happy…and so…God, she missed him. Tears started to push through as she thought about HER Oliver and how he'd just been dying in her arms hours before.

"Hey," Oliver said as he started to walk towards her. "I thought you were in Central City until tomorrow night?"

"I—I decided to come back early," she lied.

Central City.

Barry Allen.

She couldn't remember WHY exactly she would have been there this time. Was it for romantic reasons or because Barry was her friend? Or was it something else? None of it mattered, she supposed, what mattered was that she needed to convince Oliver. Felicity didn't know WHY she was lying, maybe she just wasn't ready to let go of the way he was smiling at her.

"You look-"

"Old?" she filled in with a slight smile.

He seemed confused at that. Felicity knew that she couldn't keep it from him. She didn't have the time, no matter how much she wanted to savor this time with him. No matter how jealous she suddenly was of her younger self. This wasn't really HER Oliver, Felicity had to remind herself. That thought brought tears and she bowed her head because it was all a little too overwhelming.

"Hey," he whispered as he closed the distance between them and took her face in his hands. Her tear filled eyes met his and she could see something in him, like he KNEW that she wasn't his Felicity. So, she waited. She waited to see his reaction. "I-I-" He took a breath. "You look...different…"

"Do you trust me?" she asked.

Long ago, so much longer for her, she remembered meeting him in the coffee shop and handing over the book of names that Walter had given her. No matter the lies that he'd tried to convince her were truth, she'd trusted him. She didn't know the reason then, but she hoped that he'd feel the same way now. It was obvious that he KNEW that something wasn't right...but she NEEDED him to trust her now. Everything depended on it.

"Yes, but-"

"But I'm not your Felicity," she said slowly. Her hand ran along the side of his face. "And you're not my Oliver...but I miss you so much already," Felicity said as she stared at him with tears in her eyes. Fifteen years. He didn't know any of the horrors or any of the hell that they'd lived through and here she was about to drop it all on him. For a moment, she felt like she couldn't do it. She KNEW Oliver and she knew that the last thing that he really needed was this weight on him. He carried so much and blamed himself for so much that had already happened in his life…

"How are you not my Felicity?" he asked slowly and still seemed confused.

"I am, but I'm not," she told him and knew that that didn't clear up any of the confusion. "I came from twenty-thirty. I came back here to talk to myself...to warn her...to warn all of you of what cannot happen…"

"That's-"

"Science fiction?" Felicity asked and beamed at him. "There's a lot of that in the future…"

"What happens that would make you do this?"

"I wasn't supposed to be the one," Felicity admitted. "And I don't have a lot of time…" She brushed the tears away. He had to know. He had to understand. She had to be clear and he needed to know that she was serious about not having the time. "I'm dying, Oliver."

"What?"

And it was like she'd broken his heart. His eyes went wide and he gripped her arms, his height slouched a bit so that they were eye to eye. "No… I can call Digg-"

"You have NO idea how much I'd love to see John," she whispered through tears. "But it has to happen. It's not good for me to be here. It's not good for her…" She paused for a moment. "I was never supposed to come back because where I appeared at was too far...which is why I have no time," she tried to explain as calmly as possible. "Everyone died. I left you...dying...bleeding...and you were all I had left. Even IF John could do something, I wouldn't want him to… My whole world...my life...my family...they're gone," Felicity told him through tears. "I don't want anyone to ever have to go through that again, so I need you to listen closely. I need you to not ask questions. I need you to believe me." He was wiping tears away and she couldn't help it, she flung herself at him and held onto him for dear life. "I need you to FIGHT for our future," she whispered as his arms wrapped around her.

Her system was definitely done. Felicity was just thankful that she didn't need to worry about contaminating everyone she'd come into contact with. She'd been in the lab and knew the side effects and she knew that the radiation was a kind that she didn't have to worry about. FitzSimmons had done their whole finishing each other's sentence thing at warp speed and Felicity had gotten the gist of it. She wouldn't spread it and it would have been killed by the time she made it to two thousand fifteen, but her body would still be dying from the effects of the radiation poisoning.

"I'll do whatever you need me to do," Oliver whispered.

Felicity's eyes squeezed shut and she held him tighter for a moment. She really didn't want to let him go, but by how her body felt, she knew she didn't have much time. The clock was ticking. Felicity reluctantly pulled away and took a step back.

"I thought you were in Central City?"

John's voice brought her a mix of emotions. It had been too long. He was someone that she'd never been able to say goodbye to. She turned to look at him and being back there with both of them in the Foundry, that she'd almost forgotten what it looked like back then, it was just too much. "John-"

The world spun and no other words followed. She was caught before she could hit the floor. Oliver and Diggle were staying at her as the edges of her world turned black. Was this it? Had she failed? Would they find the letter? Would they look over her body? Would they open her locket? Would they realize how important her journey there had been? Would everything change?

Would-

. . .

2015 - Foundry

"She's not OUR Felicity, Oliver! What if she's not even Felicity?" she heard John ask as she lie still with her eyes closed. "She's got a SHIELD logo on her jacket."

"And you said that SHIELD wasn't necessarily bad guys."

"Well, the ones that work for Hydra are!"

"It's Felicity!"

"Oliver-"

"She's DYING! Why are we even arguing about this?" Oliver questioned.

She hated that she was the reason that they were fighting, but she didn't feel like she could even move her hand. Felicity found it difficult to even open her eyelids. She blinked at first, but her vision cleared and she turned her head in the direction of their arguing. "Don't-"

"Hey," Oliver said softly and he was standing at her bedside a moment later. "We're here… You're safe…"

"For the first time in te-ten years…" she told him with a smile. Felicity looked past him and looked to Diggle. She understood his concern that maybe she was a spy or some sort of maybe shapeshifter...but she wasn't. She was dying and she just needed to give her message. That was it. Pain hit her and she cringed as her eyes slammed shut for a moment until it passed. "I-I don't have much time…"

A phone rang and Diggle picked it up, holding the face of the phone in his direction. "It's Barry, Oliver."

"You take it," Oliver told him.

Diggle didn't look pleased, but he answered it and walked away.

"I'm sorry," Felicity blurted out.

"You didn't do-"

"I'm here," Felicity told him and closed her eyes. "But not for long."

"Don't say that…"

She smiled. God, how she missed Oliver… Felicity really wasn't sure how she felt about the whole dying thing and where you ended up...but she liked to think that she'd be with Oliver and their children. Oh God, her children. This was why she was there. Tommy and Madelyn. Those were HER reasons for being there. Her smile faded and she tried to will her arm to move, but when she brushed against her torso, she realized that they'd removed her jacket. "Letter…"

"Letter?"

Felicity's eyes opened as tears filled them. "Promise me something, Oliver."

She knew he would.

"Promise me three things," she practically begged as all she could think about right now was failing her mission and the murder of her children.

"Name them," he whispered.

"One," she pushed out. Felicity closed her eyes again. "Give Felicity...YOUR Felicity...the letter from my jacket...and my locket," she instructed as she managed to pull the chain from her shirt the best that she could. Felicity's fingers wrapped around the chain and just held onto it. It was the last of what had been such happy times for her, it was almost hard to think of giving it up...even if she was going to be giving it to herself. At least he'd KNOW where it was. Taking a moment, she focused on breathing. "It's for her eyes...not yours."

"Felicity-"

"Two." Felicity wasn't sure if her younger self would keep it to herself, but she knew that then it would be HER choice to put that weight on him...to share it. "Be happy, Oliver… Don't push us away… Fight for us. Fight for your future…" Tears fell from her closed eyes as she thought about how happy they'd once been. Her voice dropped, so that she could barely hear it in her own ears. "It's beautiful, I promise you that…"

His breathing told her that he was likely crying and he probably realized that her end was near. Oliver's hand covered hers and he squeezed lightly. It was nice to know that at least she wouldn't die alone. Even if he wasn't HER Oliver, he was still an Oliver that she remembered and loved...and he would ensure that her hope lived on far beyond her death.

"Three," she breathed and found it hard to push the words out. "Don't let her see me…" It might be stupid, but of all the nightmares that she'd faced. Felicity didn't think that her younger self needed to see her dead on the table. No one needed that image, that was enough of a weight that she was going to be forcing on Oliver and Diggle. Felicity remembered how she used to see the world and she would hate to think that she was darken that world any more for her so early on. "She has so much to live for… She has you…"

"Oliver, Felicity's really sick-" Diggle said.

"Because of me…" she whispered. Felicity smiled as she thought that she'd done what she'd set out to. She'd completed her mission. She hadn't failed. "But not for long…"

"Have Barry bring her home."

. . .

TBC…