This one got away from me, and I let it. I like where it went. I hope you do. We'll see how they deal in the next Chapter. =) Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Felicity sat across from Oliver until she had seen him eat what she declared to be enough. Her persistence didn't bother him though. She eventually excused herself to go take her own shower and get changed. As Oliver sat at the table, he realized that was the first time she'd left his side for more than a few minutes since last night. In a way, it felt very odd and silence. Of the two feelings, the silence killed him the most. He walked into the living room. At least walking was a little easier than first thing this morning, he thought, trying to find good things about the day. Oliver turned on the iPod that sat in a dock on one of Felicity's many book shelves. A song Oliver had never heard came softly out of the speakers. It was enough noise to drown his brain out a little.

The sound he had been avoiding went off again – his cell phone. Laurel. A lump formed in Oliver's throat as he answered it. He kept quiet.

"Ollie?" her familiar voice pleaded.

"Yes," was the only word he could whisper.

"Where have you been?"

Oliver swallowed hard and repeated the lie he told Thea earlier in case they spoke. He paced back and forth in Felicity's living room waiting for the rest of the conversation to hit him.

"Tommy," Laurel said, her voice breaking into a sob.

"I know," Oliver said precisely. He felt like he was crawling inside his own skin.

"How? No one has heard from you."

"Thea talked to me this morning. She told me you were in the hospital, but okay."

"Where are you, Ollie?" Laurel asked, sounding a mix of hurt and confused. "I thought you might be dead with Tommy. I wanted to talk to you about him. He saved me, and said he still loved me…"

The restraint on his emotions broke. "I can't, Laurel. I can't do this. I can't talk about him. One of my best friend's last memories was of me betraying his trust. Of me sleeping with you," Oliver heard the shocked gasp, "Yes. He was on his way to fix things with you and selfish Oliver had to go mess that up. I haven't changed. I did to Tommy what I did to you the day that Sarah left on the Queen's Gambit with me. I love you, Laurel, but I can't be with you. There is too much pain and too many wrongs. I came back with this want and ideal based on things five years ago. An ignorant boy's hopeful wish. I am done hurting people due to being so blind when it comes to you. I'm sorry, Laurel. For everything. Maybe if I did die on that island Tommy would still be alive." Oliver was sobbing by the time the last word left his lips.

"Ollie…ta.." Laurel started to say as Oliver screamed and threw his cell against the wall, breaking.

When Oliver turned around, he saw Felicity standing there in the doorway. She tilted her head to the side and gave him a reassuring look. Felicity crossed the room and gave him a simple hug. She wiped the tears from under his eyes, then turned away from him. He watched her walk over to where his cell phone lay in pieces. Her wet blonde hair was up in a messy bun and held by bright blue decorative sticks. Oliver noticed that she was wearing blue jeans for a change, and a t-shirt that fit her perfectly. Oliver was starting to worry about her not saying anything.

"Say something, please?" Oliver asked.

Felicity picked up the broken cell phone and walked back down the hall. Oliver started to panic. "Felicity?" He asked as he followed her. She walked into the second bedroom, which was her office. He grabbed her arm, "I'm sorry if I scared you."

"You didn't." Her tone was weird, which did not help Oliver's brain that was busy tracing over scenarios and if she could be lying to him. "I just want to fix this for you." She held up the cell phone. Felicity opened up a desk draw and pulled out a new cell phone. She put the sim card from Oliver's broken phone into the new one, turned it on, pushed some buttons, and handed it to him. "Should be fully operational in about an hour." Her tone was still so matter of factly. What have I done? Two women I care about pissed at me within five minutes of each other. Did the universe hate me that much?

Oliver stood in the doorway, hoping she'd stop and talk to him. Please, he begged her in his mind. She just pushed passed him. "Felicity, STOP!" Oliver snapped as he walked into the hallway behind her. She was shaking five feet in front of him, with her back to him. When she turned around, her eyes were trying desperately to hold on to their tears. "Talk to me," Oliver begged.

"You want me to talk?" She said with a trembling voice. "Fine." Oliver felt his heart stop with the tone of her voice. "I know I wasn't meant to hear you talking to Laurel. You thought I was still in the shower. I did not mean to walk in on it, but I did. As you talked, all I could think of is how happy I was to see you finally realize you act like an asshole to your friends when it comes to Laurel Lance. Diggle called you on it. There is right, wrong, and then Laurel in your mind. So on today of all days, where I'm trying to be the best friend I can, all I can think is that I'm happy you realized that." She lost control of her eyes as the tears flowed. Oliver stood there, shocked, as she kept talking, "And then the guilt of being happy about anything right now, especially something that is causing you pain. And of hearing the man I love talking about sleeping with another woman. And of stabbing his best friend in the back after he told him to go fix things with Laurel. So Oliver, I did not want to say anything because all I want to do is ramble and yell at you and slap you and kiss you and I knew if I started talking that I would lose it. I've been holding in my emotions all night. You needed me to not fall apart. One of us had to stay together. One of us.." Felicity trailed off as she closed her eyes. Her breathing was fast and heavy.

All Oliver could think to do was to walk up to her. He reached out to her, to pull her in. His brain was a mess with everything she'd just yelled at him. Felicity shook away his touch for the first time ever. "I need to get some fresh air, Oliver. I'll be back. Don't disappear on me. I'm sorry." Felicity said as she grabbed her purse from the table by the door and left before Oliver could reply.

"The man she loves…" Oliver whispered, looking at the closed door.

Felicity felt like she was hyperventilating by the time she reach the elevator. The last fifteen minutes played out in as many seconds in her head. "Shit, I said it," she scolded herself. "On today of all days, Felicity Megan Smoak, you pick his worst day ever to throw more emotional baggage onto the luggage rack. He definitely won't want to be your friend anymore. You'll be lucky if he is still there when you get back. Of course, Oliver Queen wouldn't want more than a friendship. GAH! Stop it, Felicity. NOT TODAY!" Felicity yelled at herself as the doors to the elevator opened on the bottom floor. As she stepped out of her building, she looked up. Oliver was on her fire escape watching her.

"You are right," he yelled as she walked by. The words hit Felicity like a brick. Answers to questions and new questions came to mind. Breath, she reminded herself. Her cell phone vibrated. It was a text from Oliver, "I won't disappear. We'll talk when you get back." She looked back up at the fire escape, but he was already back inside.

"We need wine. And ice cream. Both. Definitely both." Felicity rambled to herself.