Author's note: Hi, guys and gals! You response to the last chapter was AMAZING. I have never been so overwhelmed by reading reviews! I can't thank you enough.

This chapter is a bit lighter, though there are some major Olicity feels and maybe a few tears. I thought you deserved a break!

Enjoy!

She felt strange. She couldn't feel her body, couldn't make it do what she wanted it to. She was blissfully warm and kind of felt like she was floating.

Like, that funny feeling you get when you're on a roller coaster and the car tips over the edge of a huge drop, and you just feel... weightless?

Felicity felt weightless. There wasn't anything anchoring her to anything, or keeping her anywhere. She was just a thought, an idea, a whisper on the wind. She tried to think, to figure out where she was... or more accurately, wasn't. She pushed herself to try and dredge up her last memory. What was the very last thing she could remember? Oliver? She'd heard his voice, hadn't she? She'd heard him telling her to fight, to not give up on him.

He'd said he loved her.

That thought made her feel tingly. Tingly was good, right? Tingly and weightless couldn't be bad, could they?

She tried to open her eyes, but found that she couldn't feel those either. It should have frightened her, not being able to feel herself. She should have been scared, or at least mildly perturbed.

She wasn't.

She felt safe, wherever she was. She felt warm and content, just kind of existing in that floaty little place. She knew that nothing could hurt her there. Nothing could touch her, because she wasn't anything to be touched. She was nothing more than air here and you can't hurt air.

There was a shift, a stirring in the atmosphere around her. It wasn't unpleasant, by any means. It was like a breeze, swirling and dancing with her. She wasn't sure if she actually felt it or if she just knew it was there. It was warmer than the air around her had been the moment before. There was something familiar about it, something comforting. It flowed through her, lighting her up from the inside out. It wrapped around her, fusing with the essence that made her who, or what, she was. The tingling she'd felt before intensified, until every particle of her being was charged with static electricity. The stirring turned into a pulsing, a steady thrum that reminded her of a heartbeat.

Was that her heartbeat? Did she have a heart here, in this floaty in-between place?

Yes, that was definitely a heartbeat.

She focused on it, trying to hear it better. It seemed like it was getting closer, she could clearly count the beats now.

There was something else... A voice, maybe? It was a deep sound, almost a rumbling. It vibrated through her, throbbing in her veins in the most delicious way. She felt it all the way down in her toes.

Wait... TOES! She had toes now!

She tried to wiggle her newly rediscovered toes but they wouldn't do as they were told. She did succeed in finding her legs though, so it wasn't a total waste.

Refocusing her efforts, she tried flexing her fingers.

Oh! She had fingers, here, too! They didn't cooperate, but at least she knew they were there.

There was that rumbling, again...

It called to a part of her, a part deep inside her soul, that felt like it was trying to call back. The sound echoed through her head, reminding her that she did, in fact, have a head. Now that she had eyes again, she tried to open them. She thought maybe they fluttered a little bit, but she remained sightless.

"Felicity?" The deep, rumbley sound was most assuredly a voice, and it was saying her name from somewhere very far away.

She tried to make her lips move (Hey! She had lips, now too) to answer the call, but she couldn't get them to do as she bid.

She felt her fingers move and thought she'd done it, but then something large and warm was enveloping her hand and she knew she hadn't. Someone was tenderly squeezing her hand. Trying to squeeze back, she thought she might have made her fingers twitch.

"Felicity, can you hear me?"

"Yes!" she tried to shout, frustrated when the response only careened around her own head.

"Listen, if you can hear me, don't try to talk. Save your strength, okay? I'll be right here, when you're ready to wake up. I'm not going anywhere."

Oliver. That deep, rumbling, soul throbbing voice belonged to Oliver.

The deepest sense of relief washed over her, making her eyes water beneath closed lids. She'd never in her life been so happy to hear his voice. She knew there were tears falling, she could feel them as they trickled down her face, into her ears.

"Don't cry. Please, don't cry." The crack and quaver in his voice made her heart swell with emotion. "You're safe, I promise. So, just... rest. For as long as you need... And then, open those beautiful blue eyes and come back to me."

Rest. She could do that.

Oliver felt himself relax slightly when he felt Felicity drift back into unconsciousness.

He'd been talking to her for seven straight days, about everything and anything he could think of. Her doctor, a middle-aged man named Dr. Tenner, had told him that talking to her might help. Coma patients sometimes responded well to stimulus, especially if it came from a voice they recognized.

So, Oliver had talked. He'd sat in the same chair, right beside her bed, for those seven days, spilling his guts. He told her about the island, about the things he'd done that he'd been too ashamed to admit when she was awake. He told her about the times he'd thought he was going to lose a fight and how all he'd been able to think about was her. He told her about the conversation he'd had with his mother, the day she'd admitted that she knew he was the Arrow, and how he'd decided to stop waiting for their life to begin.

He read to her from her favorite series, Harry Potter, hoping that the familiar story would draw her back to him. He held her hand, caressing the tender skin, careful not to jostle the needle from the IV. He told her how much he loved her and how strong he knew she was. He let her know how proud he was of her for fighting to stay with him.

He apologized when he had to leave her every other day to go home and shower, though he knew she'd forgive him. Going to shower was the only time he ever left her side. He'd even managed to convince the nurses to let him stay in the room when they bathed her, as long as he promised to keep his back turned. He didn't go to the mansion to shower, instead going to her apartment because it was closer to the hospital.

Digg had brought a few changes of clothes and he stayed with Felicity while Oliver wasn't there.

And, Digg talked to her. Oliver didn't know what he said, but he could see the evidence of tears on his friend's face sometimes when he returned from Felicity's apartment. He was never gone long, about an hour each time, but he knew that Digg would protect her with his life in his absence.

Oliver had known the moment she'd been able to hear his voice. Her eyelashes had fluttered against the slowly fading bruises on her cheeks. He'd clasped her hand tighter in his, squeezing her fingers to let her know he was there.

"Felicity?" He'd known she couldn't answer, but he wanted to see her try. Her fingers had twitched in his palm, sending a flood of warmth through his chest. "Felicity, can you hear me?" He hadn't even tried to hide the elation he felt. But then, he'd seen the tears track down her face and his heart broke all over again. He couldn't have stopped the way his voice shook, or the tears that swam in his eyes, even if he'd tried. "Don't cry. Please, don't cry." He'd begged, wanting desperately to take away her pain. "You're safe, I promise. So, just... rest. For as long as you need... And then, open those beautiful blue eyes and come back to me."

When he felt her relax, he held her hand to his lips and let his own tears fall.

A week was a long time to wait to see the eyes of the woman you loved. When you'd thought she was dead, gone forever, seven days felt like an eternity.

Oliver laid his head down on the bed beside her, resting her open palm on the side of his face, beneath the hood of his sweatshirt. Closing his eyes, he tried to make himself rest. Here, with her, was the only time he actually managed to sleep. He wanted to be the first face she saw when she finally opened her eyes.

So, he breathed in the scent of her skin, letting it settle deep in his lungs, and willed himself to sleep.

Felicity let her eyes blink open slowly. She stared at the white expanse above her, wondering when she'd installed a drop ceiling in her bedroom. Her eyebrows knit together in utter confusion and she made to sit up to shake the fog of sleep from her brain. As she went to lift herself up, a myriad of sharp pains shot through her, knocking the breath from her lungs, forcing her to go limp against the mattress. With a rush of clarity, her whole ordeal came rushing back to her. Flashes of memory played in her mind's eye and an anguished whimper escaped her lips.

Oliver shot awake, standing over her, putting himself in her field of vision. "Felicity?" His hand came up to touch her cheek gently. His eyes flashed with hurt when she recoiled from his touch, but he pulled the hand back, gripping the rail of her bed instead.

"Oliver?" she gasped roughly, recognition dawning on her face.

"Hey... shh shh shh." he murmured, his eyes the softest she'd ever seen. "I'm right here. You're safe."

"Where are we?" she choked.

Oliver turned away, quickly turning back with a plastic tumbler of water. He held a straw to her lips, letting her quench her parched throat.

"We're in the hospital." he explained gingerly, while she sipped.

"Oh my God..." she moaned, turning her face away from him. She didn't want him to see the plethora of emotions she knew would be sweeping over her face. She didn't want him to witness the way she crumbled, every ounce of strength leaving her body. She didn't want to feel his eyes on her when the tears scorched down her cheeks.

"Hey..." He ran his thumb delicately over her knuckles. "We don't have to talk about it right now, okay? You don't have to say anything at all, but please, Felicity... Please, look at me. I've been waiting so long for you to open your eyes. Don't shut me out."

She heard the desperation in his voice and slammed her eyes closed.

He waited, with bated breath.

Reluctantly, she slowly turned her head, facing him again. Her eyes opened carefully and met his. He smiled at her adoringly, making her chest ache.

"Oliver." she whimpered, every other word escaping her.

He asked a silent question with his eyes and she nodded her consent.

He slipped an arm under her knees and the other under her shoulders, careful to avoid the wounds he knew were there. Lifting her a fraction of an inch off the mattress, he pulled her toward the side of the bed he was standing on. He set her down as cautiously as he could, before making his way around to the other side. Toeing off his shoes, he let them fall to the floor and then tucked himself around her.

She was flat on her back, so he leaned up on one elbow, looking down at her with his head resting in his palm, letting his other hand rest on her abdomen, once again conscious of where her injuries were. Felicity lifted the hand with the IV in it, settling it over his where it lay. She felt her heart flutter a little when he tangled his feet with hers.

They were quiet for a while, before she worked up the nerve to ask the questions she needed answers to. "How long have I been here?" she whispered.

"A week and three days." he informed her, his tone as quiet as hers.

She didn't react, simply accepting his response, and filing it away. She felt numb really, like she was detached from her body. "How bad was it?"

She heard him swallow, hard, before he answered. "Bad."

"Is he..."

"Yes." Oliver assured her, his thumb smoothing circles over her belly.

"You're sure?" She hated to doubt him, but they'd been wrong before.

"Positive." His voice a little harder than it had been, but still a whisper.

She nodded and she knew he'd been the one to do it. She wanted to apologize again, for being the one he'd had to kill for, but she held her tongue. She'd learned a long time ago that she was the exception to that rule. When it came down to her life or upholding his vow, he'd break it. Every time and without hesitation. She turned her head slightly, so that she could meet his gaze. He was looking at her intensely, with so many emotions swirling in his eyes that she could do nothing but stare back. For the life of her, she couldn't think of a single word to say. The girl who excelled at babbling and, in that moment, she couldn't make a sound.

"Get some sleep." Oliver broke the silence.

"Oliver, I've been asleep long enough, don't you think? Can't we just go home?" she argued softly.

"It's the middle of the night, Felicity. We won't get to speak with Dr. Tenner until the morning, and I doubt he's going to discharge you right away." he reasoned.

"I don't think I can sleep, to be honest." She was being stubborn and she knew it, but she didn't care.

"Try." he insisted, pillowing his head on his arm beside her. "I'll be right here the whole time."

Relenting, she shifted her head so that she could feel the heat of his breath against her neck. It was comforting, having him so close. It gave her something to focus on, as she tried to sync her breathing with his. He steadily rubbed circles into the same spot on her stomach and she felt herself begin to relax.

Before she knew it, she was fast asleep.

Oliver laid awake a while longer, listening to the silence of the room, only interrupted by the occasional beep of the machines she was hooked to. He knew that the sense of peace wouldn't last. There would be police interviews, where she'd have to relive her nightmare. There would be the media interest, more demanding now that she was awake. Then, of course, there'd be the steady parade of friends and family wanting to see her, to know that she was alright.

Oliver had tried to keep the story under wraps, but with a police investigation, that had proven easier said than done. Thankfully, he'd reached her parents before they'd heard about it from elsewhere. They were awaiting word that she was awake, ready to drive the six hours from their hometown to Starling. He made a mental note to call them first thing in the morning.

The knowledge that Felicity was finally awake, that she had come back to him, made the worst of his tension seep out of his muscles. Laying in the narrow hospital bed with her sleeping safely in his embrace, he took the first easy breath he'd taken since he'd gotten Detective Lance's phone call. Closing his eyes against the memory, Oliver pressed his nose gently to the side of Felicity's throat, one of the only stretches of skin that wasn't marred by bruises or healing wounds.

He stayed that way, eventually falling asleep, counting her heartbeats as her pulse thrummed evenly against his skin.

The next morning, Oliver was jolted awake by the sound of the hospital room door creaking open. He was careful not to jostle Felicity as he slipped out of the bed to step around the curtain.

"Good morning, Mr. Queen." Greeted the nurse, the one who'd been there the night Felicity was admitted.

Oliver had since learned that her name was Evelyn. He felt a certain fondness for her, since she'd been the one to step in and take control when he'd stood helplessly with Felicity in his arms.

"It is today." He smiled, drawing the curtain back to reveal the still sleeping blonde.

Evelyn's eyes crinkled at the corners as she looked from Felicity's peaceful form to Oliver's grinning face. "When did she wake up?" she asked, speaking quietly as she stepped around the bed to check the machines.

"Late last night. Around 3, I think." he informed her, watching her as she read the printouts.

Evelyn nodded, jotting the notation down in the chart hanging from the end of the bed. She raised her eyes to Oliver's and smiled apologetically. "I'm going to have to wake her up, to check her cognitive responses and have a look at her wounds. We need to get an idea of where she's at in her recovery." she explained.

Oliver nodded his understanding and moved to grasp Felicity's hand. He gently lifted her fingers to his lips, kissing her knuckles delicately. "Felicity." he called softly, not wanting to startle her.

Her eyes slid open and her gaze found his. She smiled, grimacing when pain shot through her cheekbone.

"This is Evelyn." He motioned to the nurse across from him. "She's been your nurse since the night I brought you in." Felicity blinked up at the woman's kind brown eyes. "She's going to look you over, okay?" Oliver asked, wanting her to be as comfortable with the process as she could be.

Felicity looked back to Oliver's face, her eyes imploring. "You're not leaving, are you?"

"Absolutely not." he promised. "I'll be right behind that curtain. I have a few calls to make, but I'll be right there."

Felicity nodded, feeling bereft when he released her hand after touching another kiss to it. She watched him step around the curtain before turning her attention to her nurse.

Oliver started his calls with Digg, wanting him to know Felicity was awake. The relief in Digg's voice was palpable. Oliver heard him pass the news on to Lyla, who promptly began to cry.

"She's a little sensitive." John explained, and Oliver had to smile at the loving way his friend said it.

"Can you guys go to the apartment and grab a few changes of clothes for her? I know she's going to want to change out of her hospital gown as soon as she can. Oh, and call Thea? You can probably catch her before she leaves for work."

"Sure, man, no problem. We'll be there in about an hour." John disconnected.

Oliver's next phone call was the most important. He dialed Felicity's father and held his breath.

"Oliver?" David Smoak answered after one ring.

"Mr. Smoak. She's awake." Oliver couldn't help the way his voice broke.

"We're on our way."

Oliver had to stop and take a moment to steady himself, after he hung up. The emotion in her father's voice had taken his breath away.

Regaining his composure, Oliver dialed his mother's number. She answered almost immediately.

"She's awake." he breathed, knowing that his mother would understand the tremor in his voice.

"Oh, Oliver, I'm so glad to hear it. How is she?" Moira asked.

"The nurse is looking her over now, but she seems okay, considering."

"Good. You'll let me know when she's discharged? I assume you'll be bringing her here."

Oliver felt himself grin at how well his mother knew him. "Yes, I'll be bringing her home. Once I speak with Dr. Tenner, I'll let you know."

Saying his goodbyes, Oliver slipped his phone back into his pocket.

He approached the drawn curtain and called out, "Can I come back in?" He heard a soft sniffle, a sound he knew well, and was around the flimsy barrier before anyone had answered his question. "What's wrong?" he asked, sitting beside Felicity on the bed, entwining his fingers with hers.

She raised her watery eyes to his, her bottom lip trembling. She lifted the hand on her other side to wipe away a trail of moisture from her cheek, flinching from the pressure on her healing cheekbone. "I got a little overwhelmed." she admitted. "I knew what... I knew there were going to be scars, things that would take time to heal. This is the first time I've actually seen some of what he did to me. I haven't even seen my face yet, but judging by how much it hurts, I'm going to assume that it's an array of unpleasant colors."

Oliver's mind flashed back to the moment he'd seen her in Roy's lap, covered in her own blood. Then, it flashed to her laying unconscious in the hospital bed after she'd come out of surgery. He'd gone over every inch of her, every patch of skin, taking inventory of her injuries. With every discovery, he had felt pieces of his soul ache and the desire to snap the Count's neck, again and again, flared deep within him.

"I know it's a lot to absorb all at once." he told her gently. "We'll deal with it. All of it... One day at a time. The important thing is that you're here, and you're going to heal."

"What if I don't?" she asked earnestly. "What if I can't?"

Oliver raised a hand, moving it slowly toward her face, giving her the chance to deny him. When she didn't finch away, he cupped the side of her neck in his palm, letting his thumb ghost over her jaw.

"I'll help you." he vowed. "There's nothing we can't get through as long as we fight together, remember?"

She closed her eyes, leaning into his touch. She let his words sink in, an echo of the words she'd spoken when she'd given him his arrowhead. She drew strength from him, from his caress.

Sensing her calming, Oliver turned to Evelyn. "When can I take her home?"

She smiled affectionately at them. "As soon as Dr. Tenner signs her release. Everything seems to be healing properly and there doesn't seem to be any lasting damage to her brain function. He'll want to run a few scans to be sure, but I'd say that you should be able to take her home by Friday." She left them then, to finish her rounds, promising to send Dr. Tenner up the minute she saw him.

"Digg and Lyla are coming." Oliver informed her, taking one of her hands in both of his. "And, I spoke with your father. He and your mother are coming in."

Felicity's eyes widened. "You called my parents?"

"I had to, Felicity." he reminded her. "What happened was all over the news. I thought it better that they hear it from me, than to find out that way."

"They must be freaking out." She sighed, laying her head against the raised back of her bed.

"I think they're just glad that you're awake."

Felicity closed her eyes and a flash of memory struck her. Not a visual, just words. Words of comfort and the feeling of warm legs against her back. "Roy." she whispered, raising her head.

A look of confusion crossed Oliver's face.

"Roy was there. In that room..." she struggled, trying to pull the memory to the surface. "He told me to hold on, that you were coming."

He was temporarily distracted by the thought. If she'd heard Roy speaking to her in the brewery, had she heard him in the backseat of the car, on the way to the hospital? Had she heard every word he'd been desperate for her to finally hear? Had she heard all the things he'd told her while he was begging her to wake up?

"Roy, John, and I, were there." Oliver eventually confirmed.

"Will you tell me what happened?" She needed to know.

"Are you sure this is something you want to talk about, right now?" he asked gently.

"I need to know what happened, Oliver. Now is as good a time as any."

So, he told her. He started from the beginning, with the phone call from Lance. He glossed over the entirety of his trip to the morgue, deciding that was a box best left closed for the time being. He explained about finding the signal jamming device at her apartment and calling Thea and Roy home from Gotham. He told her how Roy had been the one to find out where she was (ignoring her grin of pride). He told her how they'd managed to infiltrate the brewery and wipe out the Count's team of guards. When he started to explain the actual rescue, about the Count having a gun to her head and how she'd been tied to the chair in the center of that room, his words failed him. He couldn't force himself to relive that particular memory in any great detail.

"You saved me." she murmured, stroking her thumb over the pulse point in his wrist. "I knew that you would come for me."

"I'll always come for you, Felicity." Oliver said, his words gentle but impassioned.

"I know." She smiled softly.

They sat in silence for a while, just enjoying the skin on skin contact as her thumb traced a triangle pattern into the thin skin over his pulse.

It was Felicity who broke the silence. "Can I ask you something?" she asked cautiously.

"When has me saying no ever stopped you?" he pointed out, the corner of his mouth quirking up.

"Fair point." she conceded easily. She inhaled deeply, before blowing it out and then ventured her thoughts. "I just was wondering... He said that you weren't looking for me, that you thought I was dead."

Oliver's face darkened, but he didn't respond.

"He told me that he gave the cops a body and that they thought it was me." she continued. "How did you know I was still alive?"

He was silent for a beat too long, reliving the hell of his visit to the morgue. Eyes shining with unshed tears, he met her gaze resolutely. Telling her the truth was the only option, he knew. It had been that way between them for the better part of seven years. "When Lance said that they had to assume it was you, I didn't believe it. I couldn't believe that you were gone." He took a deep, steadying breath. "So, I went to the morgue. I thought that the only way I'd believe you were gone was to see for myself. There was a body and... She matched your description. They said that it was you... But, I saw it. I saw her, and I didn't feel it."

"Feel what?" she prompted, her own eyes brimming with moisture.

"You." He looked away from her. "I didn't feel you. There's something there when I'm near you. There's a connection... A knowing. And, it wasn't there. I thought that if I saw you, I'd feel the loss, you know? But, I was just hollow... And then, I noticed the ear." Felicity's brow drew together quizzically, confusion splashed across her features. He had to grin a little at the expression. "There was no hardware in her ear. I know, for a fact, that the only time you take out your industrial is to clean it or swap it." She stared at him, her mouth falling open in surprise. "Then, I knew." Oliver met her eyes. "I knew that it wasn't you laying there. I knew, with everything I am, that you were still out there, that you were counting on me to find you."

Felicity smiled at him, wetly. "It's a good thing you know me so well."

A sudden knock at the door got their attention, before Digg and Lyla stepped into the room. Lyla made a beeline for Felicity, wrapping her arms carefully around her shoulders, tears slipping down her cheeks. Diggle came to stand beside the bed, trading places with his wife when she finally released a sniffling Felicity.

"We brought you clothes and your extra glasses. Oh, and coffee!" Lyla informed her, swiping fingers under her eyes.

"Oh, thank God!" Felicity moaned, drawing laughter from everyone. She held out her hands in a "gimme" gesture. Diggle grinned, supplying her with her caffeine fix. She raised it to her nose first, inhaling deeply, before sipping the hot deliciousness.

"You spoil me." She lifted warm eyes to Diggle's.

"Nothing but the best for our girl." he told her, and the sincerity in his eyes made her smile just a little brighter.

Digg and Lya settled into chairs beside Felicity's bed. Oliver didn't say much as the three of them talked. He was just glad to see Felicity smile, to see her finding a bit of herself again.

When she slipped her hand into his palm, linking her fingers through his, Oliver heard the unspoken words more clearly that if she'd shouted them in his ear.