A/N: Thanks everyone for reading and supporting the story! There aren't many chapters left and I' m happy about the way this story is unravelling!

Belinda: Thank you! I'm really happy you like my story, all the support means a lot to me..I have a plan for Oliver and Felicity and I hope I will be able to bring them together at the right moment!

Angeldolphin01: Thanks, I' m happy you enjoy my story!

C. TigerFan: Thank you! I figured Oliver would need time to even understand what is going on inside his head before saying it out loud. And even at that point he would have a hard time expressing it, I' m glad you understand it, I know it's frustrating though, but I have a plan!

When Felicity comes downstairs Diggle is already there.

She can hear muffled voices coming from her kitchen and she approaches the door silently, curious to hear what he and Oliver are talking about.

These days she has the feeling they are talking a lot when she can't listen and she hates it. She understands they feel they need to protect her after what they have learned but it's starting to get on her nerves.

She frowns as she hears Oliver raising his voice and his words are really clear even through the closed door. "Do you still think he has nothing to do with it? Seriously?"

"I'm saying we don't know it yet and we have to consider all the possibilities."

Diggle's answer is calm and she has to press her ear on the door to hear him. He is speaking slowly and with an even tone, even if Felicity, who knows him well, can feel the annoyance in his voice.

For a moment none of them speak and she is about to open the door, making her presence known, when she hears Diggle talking again.

"You need to step away from this case, you don't have a clear mind on this."

"Digg."

"If you did you wouldn't be so obsessed with Ray Palmer."

"What?"

She doesn't even realize she has moved, but here she is, facing them in the middle of the room.

They are looking at her a little surprised at her sudden appearance but she doesn't let it distract her and she looks directly at Oliver as she speaks.

"We have no proofs against Ray, I thought we agreed on that. Why don't you accept it?"

"Because he is involved!"

"Oliver!"

She turnes to look at Diggle, who is watching Oliver with a very annoyed look on his face.

"I' m going to have a friendly chat with him."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea!" She yells, sarcasm dripping from her voice, his stubbornness annoying her to no end. "The Arrow threatening innocent people or even better Oliver Queen asking questions about something he shouldn't even know or care about."

"Felicity did you know that the two men who were murdered were investors for QC, too? For the same project? The one your friend has been working on."

She feels her cheeks go aflame at his words, at what he is suggesting and she feels a sudden and irrational anger towards him.

She considers hitting him but since she is probably just going to hurt herself she closes her hands into fists, keeping her arms firmly on her sides and she spats irritability, looking straight into his eyes.

"He has been working on several projects. You would know that if you ever bother to show up at the company!"

With that she turns on her feet and walks back upstairs, the thought of breakfast, forgotten.

When she comes back, freshly showered and dressed for work she marches resolutely in the kitchen, still mad, but she has decided she isn't going to argue anymore. She has a plan and she is ready to put it in motion.

"I'm going to talk to Ray."

"What?" Both Oliver and Diggle turn to look at her, surprise and disbelief clear in their voice.

"Yes!" She uses a steady and slightly louder tone, then she turns to face Oliver. "Since you pointed out that he is my friend he may be more willing to talk to me."

"What if he is dangerous? What if he is involved?"

"I'm going to handle it!" She watches Oliver shaking his head and even Diggle avoids looking at her, but she is not going to back down, not this time.

"Please, both of you, please. I' m a member of this team, so let me help, let me do my job! I feel like since we found out about my father you don't trust me anymore. But it can't work like that. Or you let me be a part of the team or you walk away and it's done, we are done."

She watches Oliver and Diggle share a look before turning back to look at her. Her stomach twists uncomfortably and for a moment she thinks they aren't going to let her, they are going to put her in a corner and she bits her lip to prevent herself from speaking.

She exhales visibly when she sees something akin to understanding in both their eyes and she smiles, relieved, as she watches Diggle nodding. "Ok, great!"

"I still think it would be better if you don't do it alone." She turns to look at Oliver, shocked at his persistence.

"Oliver that wouldn't work. What reason would you have to escort me to work to talk to my boss? If he thinks something is up he won't tell us anything."

"She is right, Oliver."

"But-"

"I was about to say I can go with Felicity. I'm a professional bodyguard, I will mingle with security and Palmer won't notice me."

Felicity sits on her chair, shifting nervously and swaying her legs right and left, back and forth. She can see Diggle's eyes on her, watching over her silently as they both wait for Ray to come into the office.

He is late and that is very unlike him, he is always on time, even in those last erratic weeks.

Felicity tries very hard not to think of a reason for his delay. A dark, pessimistic part of her tells her he can be in trouble, he really can be involved, but she decides to ignore it and she checks his schedule for the hundredth time, to see if she has missed an appointment that can justify his absence.

He comes in a little after ten, face crippled, and he briefly glances at her, giving her a nod, before hurrying inside his office. Felicity can see Diggle's eyes on her and she turns, sighing, to give him a tight smile.

She already knew that once he saw Ray Palmer he would know something is wrong with him and most importantly she has been hiding it from them.

Felicity lets him settle down and once she sees him putting down his phone and leaning on his chair, his stare on the windows, she decides it's time.

She slowly gets up and smooths imaginary wrinkles on her dress, passing both hands on her hips in a soothing manner. Than she straightens her shoulders and reaches up to push her glasses firmly in place.

She walks though the glass door and waits, a few feet from his desk, for him to acknowledge her.

"Yes, Miss Smoak?"

She clears her throat, debating with herself on what to say.

"I- If you have time I would like to talk to you. About a thing, a work thing. Well, not 'work' work but a thing. If you have time."

She curses inwardly at her poor communication skills when she sees him frowning, eyeing her with a wary look. Great. She is supposed to make him comfortable and now he thinks she is a weirdo.

She scowls at the silly thought. Over the past few weeks they have developed a relationship, a friendship and Ray has been nothing but kind to her, all she has to do is being herself.

"Ray, can we talk?"

She sees him relaxing visibly and he gives her a little, but genuine smile.

"Of course, please take a sit."

Once she is sitting in front of him she thinks back at the speech she has been rehearsing in the car on the way here and while she was waiting for him, biting nervously her bottom lip.

"Felicity, you are making me nervous."

She looks at his and sighs softly before giving him a tight smile.

"What we have, I consider it a friendship and I want you to know you can talk to me, I can help you if there is something bothering you. Is there anything bothering you?"

"I don't think I understand."

"Three of the people investing in your project for the Applied Science Division were murdered and at this point it clearly isn't a coincidence."

"Felicity I-"

"No! Wait. I don't think you have anything to do with this and for that reason I think you need help."

"You don't have to worry about this, the police is on it."

"The police has no leads."

She freezes as soon as the words escape her mouth. She looks up at Ray, who is clearly stunned and more than a little suspicious.

She is not supposed to know the state of the investigation and they both know it.

"How- how do you know that?" He speaks slowly, in a low voice and she doesn't miss the way his eyes dart to the door before settling back on hers.

"All I' m saying it's that I can help. I know people who can help. You don't have to speak to me if you don't want to, but I'm gonna need a list of the investors, Ray. The list you didn't give to the police."

She sits on her desk, her head resting on her hands. She has escused herself after her conversation with Ray and she is disappointed at the lack of results.

She is chewing her cheek when she hears someone clearing his throat in front of her.

Felicity looks up to see Ray, handing her a piece of paper, very tentatively.

She grabs it slowly, still watching him, and brings it to her chest, holding it. She can see the doubt in his eyes, his clench yaws and she nods, reassuring him silently.

She turns the paper to read what's on it. It's a short list of names, the investor's names.

She scans the lists and she presses her lips together, tightly, when she realizes there are only four names on the list. The first three are already dead, while the forth, Donovan Gallagher, is still alive. For now.

"Why are you so against Ray? I mean, I get you don't like him because of the company but you really seem to hate him"

The question has been driving her crazy since that morning and now, that she is finally alone with Oliver in the foundry, she can't help but asking him.

"I don't." She watches as he pinches the bring of his nose, his voice tight, still facing the practise dummy. "I just- I think I don't like the idea that you trust him so openly, I don't understand that."

She smiles gently and walks towards him, moving to grab his arm to get his attention. She waits until he meets her eyes and her gaze softens when she detects the distress in his eyes.

"Do you know you could have led with that in the first place?"

She feels him trying to pull back but she doesn't let him and tightens her hold on his arm. "I mean it, Oliver. I don't like when we argue."

She speaks softly and she tries to contain her smile when she feels him relaxing under her touch.

She thinks it's unfair how easily he can affect her, make her smile. She feels warm and a little dizzy when he looks at her this way, softly and with his blue eyes shining with what she believes is affection.

It's really unfair. Because she is sure he doesn't do it on purpose and it's her stupid brain's fault if she notices really stupid things, like his dimples, the rare times he smiles widely and the way that makes her stomach flip.

"I don't like when we argue either."

She doesn't know what props her to do it, later she would blame it on her stressful week or on his annoyingly perfect smile but the truth is she doesn't think when she uses her hand to tug him towards her so she can kiss him softly on the cheek, right beside the corner of his mouth.

When she draws back and realizes what she has done she blushes furiously. Her lips are tingling lightly with the feel of his stubble still under them and she brings a hand to cover her mouth.

Because they aren't like that, they aren't the kind of friends that kiss on the cheeks.

Because he makes her heart beats wildly just by looking at her. Because his kiss made her knees go weak. Because that night she cooked for him she couldn't help but thinking what would it be like if she could do it every day.

"Felicity-"

Oliver is looking at her like he has a million things to say and he slowly reaches for her hand, brushing his knuckles on her fingers, making her shiver, before grabbing her hand,intertwining his fingers with hers.

She notices he is smiling softly and he has a light blush on his cheeks. She can't stop staring at him and her heart starts thrumming wildly because she realizes he looked exactly the same that night in his family house.

He gazed into her eyes in the same way, he held her hand precisely like that and it's too much, because in her memory he is going to put a syringe in her hand any moment now and she can't, she just can't take it and she takes her hand back, trapping it on her chest with her other one and she bows her head, unable to look at him.

"I'm sorry I can't." She doesn't know what she is even apologizing for and she is not sure what she was expecting to happen between them but her instinct screamed to make it stop.

She looks up to see Oliver's face falling and his smile quickly disappearing from his face.

She feels terrible, she really loves that smile. She has always been one of the few people in his life to make him smile, but now she isn't, she is the one who is taking it away from him.

He takes a step back, opening and closing his hands, clearly unsure of what to do, than gives her a tight smile, meeting her eyes, again. "I-" He takes a deep breath and nods, making Felicity's heart sink in her stomach for no good reason at all. "Ok."

"We need to put surveillance on Mr. Gallagher."

Diggle descends the stairs quickly, without looking at them.

"I'm on it." Oliver quickly replies while Felicity steps back, walking towards her computer.

"Ok, good. You are coming home with me, then. Ok?"

"Yes, good, great! Thanks John."

She quickly glances at Oliver who isn't looking at her, than she smiles at Diggle, trying to seem calm and detached.

Judging by the wary look he gives both her and Oliver she doesn't think she is very successful but she hopes he won't question her that night. To be honest she wouldn't even know what to say.

Felicity spreads the tablecloth on the table, smoothing the edges slowly, distracted.

She has offered to set the table while John has gone to pick up dinner, to let Lyla rest. They have decided against cooking or ordering take out because Lyla has been craving Italian the whole day and there is in particular a chocolate and pear pie she couldn't get out of her head.

John, being the considerate ex husband and the slightly apprehensive future dad he is, took off to buy her exactly what she wants. Felicity thinks it's incredibly sweet, so sweet she decides not to mention it to her other team mates, who would probably make fun of him.

"Hey."

She jolts visibly when she hears someone speaking behind her and she grabs instinctively the first thing she can reach, which happens to be a spoon. A spoon. She frowns examining her choice of weapon. Really, a spoon. It could at least have been a fork.

She turns to see Lyla chuckling softly at her. "Are you all right?"

She unclasps the hand around the spoon and tucks some errand locks behind her ears. "Yeah, sorry. What's up?"

"Nothing, I' m just bored. I guess I' m not used to rest the whole day."

"Oh! You can't wait for that baby to just pop out, aren't you?"

She makes a smacking sound with her lips and snaps her hands open, mimicking an explosion, making Lyla laugh warmly.

"Oh, Felicity. I can't believe John didn't bring you around sooner."

Felicity smiles at her, a little surprised maybe, but really touched by her words.

"Oh!"

Felicity looks up at her with wide eyes when she sees Lyla bringing suddenly both hands to hold her belly, a quizzical look on her face.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes, yes, sorry."

She smiles brightly at her and holds a hand up, towards her.

"Come here, Felicity."

Lyla summons her close with an excited and a bit enigmatic tone and Felicity moves hesitantly, stopping right in front of her.

Once she is close enough Lyla brings one of Felicity's hands on her swollen belly and she freezes and brings her eyes up, clearly confused.

"Just wait." Lyla speaks softly and she nods, relaxing.

They both keep silent for a few moments until- "Oh! Wow, just wow." Felicity screeches when she feels something poking right into the palm of her hand and with a jolt of surprise she realizes that the baby is kicking. "This is pretty incredible." She says, breathlessly.

"Yes, it is. She is such a quiet baby, she almost never kicks." Lyla laughs quietly, her eyes a little wet. "Johnny will be so jealous, he has never felt her kicking."

"Seriously?"

"Yes, I think she likes when you talk." She smiles widely when she feels another strong kick. "And for that reason you have to know we will probably keep you here forever."

The sounds of their laughs mingle together and for one moment Felicity feels happy, completely happy, all her worries about Oliver and her father forgotten.

"It's beautiful how much you and John love this baby."

"We try to do our best."

"Yes, everybody does."

Felicity thinks silently at what she has just said. The words has escaped her so naturally, but are them true? Does she really believe that? Dis her parents do their best? Did her mother? Her father?

"I don't know how much John told you, but I knew your dad pretty well, the good and the bad."

"He told me you worked together for a mission."

Her voice is small and uncertain, she is still unsure of what she wants.

Does she want to know what kind of man he is? If he is ruthless and dangerous like her friend has described him and the rational part of her brain suggests he is.

Or if maybe, just maybe, there is goodness and kindness in him. If watching him, talking to him she would see a part of herself.

She isn't like her mother, she knows that. She loves her, but she isn't so naïve to believe that just being mother and daughter make them alike and able to always understand each other.

They are just people, they are different and the love they share is enough.

But she has always longed to know if her quirky personality, her love for science and her shyness towards new people aren't just her own but there is someone else in this word who can understand her because he shares those traits with her.

"Yes, we did. Do you want me to tell you about him?"

"Yes. Yes, please, I'd like that."

They spend the rest of the time before Diggle's return sitting on the couch, Lyla speaking quietly about little, precious details about Felicity's father.

She doesn't talk about their mission, she lefts unsaid the awful things they had to do to complete the job but she tells her the way he likes to take his coffee, smiling when Felicity mumbles, her bottom lip slightly trembling, that she takes it the same way.

She tells her he got cranky at the idea of having to seek tech support because he likes the idea of doing everything on his own, not missing the way her eyes widen slightly at that.

That evening when they eat the delicious pear and chocolate pie in comfortable silence Felicity can't help smiling softly and when Diggle questions her mood Lyla steps in to tell him they have heard the baby kicking and he is so shocked he spends the rest of the night with his hand on her belly, stubbornly waiting for his daughter to kick again.

Later that night Lyla can't help but get out of bed, to eat the last piece of cake left in the fridge.

She smiles when she puts the wide piece on a plate, remembering John subtly saving it, probably knowing she will crave it later.

She settles heavily on the couch, with a deep sigh.

The pregnancy is almost over and even if the thought of a tiny screaming baby to take care of scares her to death, her swollen ankles and her painful back makes her look forward to the term.

She frowns when she sees a folder on the table, some pages poking out of it.

She instinctively puts her fingers on the top of it than stops, biting her lip. She is curious but it's obviously John's and he didn't share it with her. She taps her fingers, indecisive, and even if she thinks she really shouldn't do it she opens it anyway and scans the content quickly.

There are just a few pictures, but they still make her take a short intake of breath and drop the folder, in surprise. Those are the crime scene photos from the case she knows the team is working on, John must have taken the folder home to examine them.

Each and every men has been killed with a single gunshot to the head. Her trained eyes can see the murder weapon is a eight milliliter even without the ballistic report and she spreads all the photos on the table, one after the other, to analyze them closely.

She has no doubt. In her field of work there is no room for hesitance and she has learned to have none.

She has also learned to always trust her instinct and in that very moment her instinct is telling her something very clear, something game changing.