A/N: So close to being back to the sexy times! This is another combined ep chapter because as with the previous part all these episodes just ran one after the other. It was impossible to place this part either at the true end of 3x17 or 3x18 for obvious reasons, but I did find a spot to put a scene that I think works.

Hope you enjoy, and please let me know what you think!

Part 14: 3x17-Suicidal Tendencies/3x18-Public Enemy

Seeing Oliver handcuffed in the interrogation room wasn't the thing that almost broke her. It was his voice. It was the desperation she heard. The sound of a man pushed into a corner and forced to do the one thing that he'd fought so hard to protect for so long. The sound of a man who didn't think he had any other choice.

When he'd almost begged John to trust him, then asked the rest of them to follow him she felt her throat constrict, the backlog of tears she'd been forcing away all day threatening to spill over.

"Give us a minute, please." she asked Digg and Roy without looking behind her, eyes locked on Oliver, his fingers clamped around her hand. Her gaze flicked down in surprise because she hadn't even known she'd reached for him.

Once the door snicked shut she sank into the chair opposite him, never letting go. "Oliver...you know we...I will follow you anywhere. But is this really the best idea? Turning yourself in? Giving it all up? How can you stop Ra's if you're locked in prison?"

His eyes shut tight, jaw working as he fought for the right words, "What else can I do!"

"I don't know," she admitted, "I don't have a solution. Not now, but I…"

A wave of exhaustion washed through her, leaving her weak and lightheaded. Her free hand removed her glasses, pinching the bridge of her nose as she struggled to tramp down the emotions she had very little control over any more.

"You're tired," he said quietly, tone softer, the grip on her hand having changed. He was now the one holding on to her.

"It's been a really long day," she replied, as she put her glasses back in place. So much had happened in the past few days, and after spending almost twenty four hours in the hospital she hadn't even had a chance to change her clothes.

His thumbs were making minute barely there circles on the back of her hand, so small she wondered if he even knew what he was doing, but it was sending little spirals of warmth moving through her, "I was scared earlier."

Her head whipped up to find his eyes, stunned because she didn't think she'd ever heard him say that before and she couldn't imagine what could have scared him.

"I knew you were at that meeting at the Mayor's office and at first…"

The pain swirling in his dark eyes was almost palpable. Any air that had been left in her lungs escaped in a violent exhale that had her leaning forward, pressing against the table as she clung to him, knuckles white with the force of her grip.

"Oh-I'm...I'm okay, Oliver."

"I know. Because of Ray. But you were in danger because of me." the last word was said with nothing but self hatred and guilt and it was almost enough to break her heart.

"Ra's attacking the city and setting you up...that is not your fault! You cannot think that taking his offer is the right thing to do. There is not a world in which that is an option so stop acting like you had a choice! You didn't! This happened to you, not because of you."

"This is my city and it sees me as a pariah now. How do I come back from that?"

"Lance is the one who sees you like that. Not everyone. You've gained them back before, made them believe in you. You can do that again. The good you've done here cannot be washed away with a few angry press conferences!"

He sighed, long and low, hands beginning to raise as he lowered his head. The soft brush of his hair against her knuckles made her bite her lip to keep quiet as they both took the moment. The feel of his forehead pressed into the back of her hand, the rough noise of his breath as he gave in to the hopelessness for just a second, the steady rhythm of her fingers stroking over the back of his head and down his neck as she gave in to her need to comfort him.

"I did what I did to keep you safe. To keep Thea safe. To protect this city and the people in it and…"

The doubt she'd heard the week before had returned, this time seemingly stronger than ever. "Oliver, you can't do this to yourself!"

His head shot up, eyes glassy and wild with anger and frustration, "What was it for! I hurt you for nothing!"

Her heart was slamming into her ribs and that carefully constructed fortress she'd built around it now felt as brittle and thin as a bird's egg.

Nothing could have stopped her from slipping her hand from his to cup his face. As her thumbs ran across his cheeks she forced him to meet her gaze, "You did what you thought was right. You did it because you-care." she couldn't bring herself to say love. The walls may be crumbling, but some things she still had to protect, though her mother's words were screaming at her 'You don't love Ray because you're in love with Oliver'. She hadn't denied it, because she knew it was the truth.

Before she could say anything else the door burst open, a smug, angry Lance strolling through with an exasperated Laurel trailing behind him.

"Really, Ms. Smoak? One boyfriend attempts to murder the other? What kind of sick game are you playing?"

Oliver pulled back from her but she only let her hands fall to his as she turned a glacial stare on Lance. "You know this is wrong! He's being framed, and-"

"Felicity. Stop talking." Laurel ordered, "Oliver's bargained to keep you out of this but if you implicate yourself that can be thrown out."

Lance just gave a twisted smile, "I'm not sure I can arrange for adjacent cells, but I could see what I could do."

Felicity set her jaw as her glare hardened, "I'm sure the police commissioner would be more than happy to hear about how Captain Lance has been aiding and abetting a murderer for the better part of two years."

The smile slid off Lance's face, returning her glare with one of his own.

"You should know by now, I'm very thorough." her threat was more than understood.

"Felicity…" Oliver's soft warning was what finally made her drop the silent standoff she'd been having. "Please...just a little further."

The room tilted as she stood and she was grateful she still had Oliver for support. He squeezed her hands tight, telling her everything she already knew without saying a word. "Be careful." he implored, voice betraying how worried he was, "They're still out there."

"I will. You...you be careful too."

Lance made a half disgusted, half irritated noise in the back of his throat that she ignored. Instead she forced herself to pull away from Oliver, his fingers holding on to hers until they couldn't any longer.

She didn't look at the Captain as she exited the room, didn't let on that she could barely see in front of her because her eyes were so full of tears. Digg was waiting just outside the door, wrapping an arm around her waist as they walked out, and she let him guide her, Roy falling into step on her other side.

As soon as the cool night air hit their faces and the door to the precinct closed behind them Roy paused to give her and Digg a hard look.

"We need a plan."