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They fell asleep tangled in each other arms.
Felicity slept discontinuously, reaching for his embrace and wrapping herself more closely around him. At some point during the night, he added more wood to the fire and checked her arm.
He secured the sticks tight along her arm, the swell had reduced a little and the skin wasn't so tense anymore. Two good signs.
The fever was still very much there, though.
When the sun filtered beyond the clouds, he kissed her forehead and went out in the snow.
Oliver walked for an hour around the place without seeing anything resembling a path that they could follow.
No matter how much he was glad that Felicity and he had finally admitted their feelings, they were still in a very dangerous situation.
They couldn't stay there forever.
She needed medical attention. They both did. Fast.
When he gave up searching and decided to go back, he finally found what he was looking for. At the left end of the lake, just beyond the edge of the forest was a small path covered with snow. It was barely six foot large, but wide enough for two horses and groups of kids to pass.
He marked the point in his mind and as he went back to the cabin.
Felicity was still lying on the mattress, but she was awake. He smiled, and without a word, he lowered to his knees to kiss her.
The kiss was long ad sweet, and she made a sound of appreciation that made his skin tingle. No matter how much he knew that was hardly the time for- that, she was still beautiful, and still in love with him.
She was in love with him.
Wow.
How did that happen? What did he do to deserve the love of this amazing woman?
He had probably zoned out for a moment, because suddenly he could hear her giggle to his mouth and when his eyes opened to look at her, she was still brushing her lips against his, struggling not to laugh.
He smiled into the kiss. "What?"
"I should've known- your scruff tickles." It was more like a full grown beard after ten days.
His eyes sparkled and he smirked, sliding a hand at the nape of her neck while rubbing his cheek purposely on her porcelain skin.
He buried his face under her jaw, leaving trails of kisses. She was laughing, her hand pushing against his shoulder to escape. The sound of her laughter reverberated into the space and soon he found himself laughing too.
After multiple pleas for him to stop, he finally leaned back to look at her. Her eyes were shining and she was smiling wildly at him. After what she suffered and was still suffering, that smile warmed his heart.
"Hi."
"Hi."
"How do you feel?" He trailed his fingers over her collarbone and down her arm.
She was about to say that she was fine, but when she looked at him in the eyes, she knew better than lie to him about that. "I'm—coping. You?"
"My ribs hurt, but I can breathe a little easily."
She smiled a little. "Good. Where were you?"
"Looking for the way out of this mountain."
"Hmm- I missed you this morning."
She smirked a little, tracing her fingers down his neck.
His eyes darkened. His tone warning. "Felicity-"
Her hand traveled down his chest innocently. "What?"
His voice became a little erratic. "I found the path the people of this place use to get here…w-we need to stay focus."
Her head fell back and she pouted at him, making the most adorable face he had ever seen. He chuckled at the disappointment on her face.
Then she sobered, dropping a few kisses to his lips. "You're right. No time for sexy times."
He laughed, raising to his feet to take his wet clothes off. He stripped off his jacket and t-shirt, leaving his chest bare.
She choked on a sound. "If you want me to focus on getting home, you can't be all shirtless in front of my crazy hormones."
He turned to face her, smirking. "Says the naked woman under the blanket."
She blushed. "Touché. But you have your Arrow control of steel- I'm only human."
He kneeled down in front of her. "I can assure you that even my 'Arrow control of steel' is having a hard time right now."
She smirked, eyes shining mischievously.
"Really?"
They fell into each other arms forgetting the world outside for hours.
When they finally decided to move it was late afternoon, and the snow was falling more slowly than before.
He cooked more soup and they ate by the fire.
"So, what's the plan?" She asked, putting down the second plate.
"I found the path on the left side of the lake."
"That's good right?"
"I don't know. We are at a crossover—"
"Shocker. We overcame a few of them already."
He shook his head a little. "Yes, but this is different. The choice is either to stay or leave. Here we have a shelter and warmth. Maybe someone will find us, but not before one or two months, maybe more-"
"But?"
He locked his eyes with hers for a moment, before he diverted his gaze at their hands. "But with our injuries- if we stay you could-" He shut his eyes closed, shaking his head, incapable of saying the words. "If we leave- well, you know the risks of leaving."
"You mean the snow, the cold, possibly hypothermia, the lack of food and comfort, the danger of being hurt more than we already are—I can go on."
"Pretty much. And the fact that we don't know how much road we have ahead of us. And-"
He closed his eyes for a moment, and she squeezed his hand in hers. "What?"
"I don't have certainties. Maybe I'll make you leave this place just to get us both killed outside."
"So basically the choice is either leave and maybe die outside, or stay here and just- wait for something to happen?"
He nodded.
"I love this place. Probably because I know what awaits us outside- but this is paradise right now."
He nodded. "I know. I don't want to put you in any more danger, Felicity."
She was studying his face.
"Oliver- If you were alone, what you would do?"
He inhaled, squeezing back her hand.
"I would leave."
She nodded, a look of determination on her features.
"Then we leave."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I can't just sit and wait for...whatever. If there's a small chance that we can make it, I want to try. I want us to go home- I want to go home with you, Oliver."
He stared at her in wonder for a moment, and then he nodded too.
"Okay. We'll take another two, maybe three days to rest and eat, and then we move in that direction. Tomorrow I'll go check around for more food to take with us."
"Well then, I need to take another bath before we leave."
He smiled. "Of course."
"Maybe we could save some time if you take it with me-"
"Felicity-" His voice was a mix of laugh and warning, as he leaned to kiss her.
She blushed.
"Sorry."