Chapter 12: ONE MORE DARE

A/N: The first part of this chapter is in Felicity's point of view, and it gives us answers as to why she did what she did in the previous chapter where she broke Oliver's heart. The second half gets our plot moving, as we approach the major turning point in the story. Warning: this is long, longer than the previous chapter that I said was the longest one so far. But this is because I'm trying to make up for the long delay in updating this fic. I hope it does, and I hope you'll like this chapter.

I am truly SORRY for taking so long to update. But life has been difficult for me at work and at the home front. Someone resigned from work and his responsibilities fell on my shoulders, which means more work, less time to write. My has fallen ill twice in the past few weeks, and I've been nursing a knee injury, and now my husband is also ill. Please accept my peace offering.

Also, even though I've already mapped out the story until its ending, I've tried my best to incorporate some of the ideas and suggestions of readers and reviewers here and in another site where this fic is posted. It's a 'thank you' to those of you who take the time to leave encouraging and constructive comments. Please know that I read every single one of them, and I appreciate you dropping a line or two. Thank you all, including guests whom FF can't allow me to reply to. Many thanks!

"Oliver, we've been over this many times. You are not the boss of me. This is my life, my choice! And really, this thing with Harwood is none of your business. So stop being an over-zealous, over-jealous caveman and just let me handle it myself."

Felicity remembered saying those harsh words to him in sheer exasperation and indignation. Her lips quivered. She also remembered the words Oliver had said back with a paradoxical mixture of firmness and gentleness that she still could neither unravel nor get over.

"This is our life. I'm your husband, and you are still my wife. I have the right to be jealous – not because of some childish insecurity or fear of losing you, but because we made a promise to be partners for life, and I'm supposed to fight for you. And this thing with Harwood? It is my business, because in this marriage, I am the man responsible to take care of you. I really don't need your permission to talk to Harwood, Felicity, but I respect you enough to let you know that that's what I intend to do…"

Those words had made her blood boil. She could have exploded with a chain of expletives right then and there, but they were in their favorite burger joint, and she was not about to humiliate herself and the mayor of their city in front of everyone there. She didn't want to make a public spectacle of their domestic disagreement, even if every fiber in her being cried out in protest that the man she loved couldn't get it into his thick skull that she was in control of her life. How hard was it for him to accept that she wanted to be the one to decide if and when she needed protection, including his?

During her cab ride from Big Belly to the loft, Felicity had protested, "This is the twenty-first century, for crying out loud! How can he act like such an old-fashioned, jealous jerk?!" She did think, for a while, that he had a point. He did have the right to be jealous for the right reasons. He wasn't just some overreacting suitor or boyfriend; he was her husband, and Harwood had crossed the ethical line. At that thought, she had entertained conceding because her logical mind had to admit that he was right. A small part of her heart was even impressed that her husband had been adorably stubborn to be her knight in shining armor simply because he took his role as her protector quite seriously.

The other part of her heart snapped right back, however, and her initial reaction against his over-protectiveness took over once again. "Chauvinist! Who does he think he is?! I'm not some pathetic damsel in distress in a Gershwin musicale singing about desperately needing someone to watch over me," she griped during the entire elevator ride up to their floor. Felicity had felt insulted, especially when she rehearsed that part when he had said that he really didn't need her permission to talk to Harwood. Her nerves objected fiercely at the thought that someone else – her own husband in particular – seemed to keep her caged, bound, or straight-jacketed, denying her the freedom to make her own decisions. After all, she had mastered the art of solving her own problems for more than twenty years.

Felicity Smoak had always been in charge of her life. Her father had abandoned her and her mother when she was six. Since the day she finally accepted and realized that her father wasn't ever coming back, she had learned the tools and tricks of survival intentionally, and incidentally because her mother had hardly been there for her – not because her mother didn't care, but because she had been too busy working three jobs to keep a roof over their heads and food on their table. Throughout her childhood and teen years, Felicity resented her mother's absence, which had forced her to learn how to survive and thrive on her own. But when she survived the rigors of college life thousands of miles from her hometown and the heartbreak over her first love, Cooper Seldon, without a mother's shoulder to cry on, she had learned to respect Donna Smoak for her strength, resilience, and perseverance despite their differences in personality, intelligence, and perspectives.

The fall out with her first love and the subsequent heartaches she had suffered from his fake suicide and his criminal comeback had only temporarily derailed her from becoming the successful woman she had always aspired to be. It was the same when she had lost Oliver to Ra's al Ghul, not once but twice. She had picked up the pieces of her shattered heart and begun to move forward in the midst of her pain. Felicity had, time and again, risen up from the ruins and rebuilt herself into a better person. She had been used to running her life the way she thought best, with head held high. She had been used to doing things her way, confident that she had the IQ of a genius and the resolute determination of a survivor to help her make it through anything life threw her way. She had been used to fighting her battles despite some setbacks and still managing to come out on top every time.

How dare Oliver Queen take the wheel of her life from her, just because he was her husband! How dare he presume that he had to be the one who should protect her from guys like Harwood and even from herself! What Oliver had said counted for something – that although he didn't need her permission to go talk with Harwood, he respected her enough to let her know that it was something he planned to do. She did appreciate that. However, she expected more respect and understanding from him.

By the time Felicity had opened the door and walked into the loft the other night, it seemed like she had had a rude awakening. She was almost completely convinced that she had been getting it all wrong in the past few days. It had felt like she and Oliver were getting somewhere. She had forgiven him to the lies, and they seemed to be rekindling something worth saving. But no matter how wonderfully and blissfully sweet and sincere Oliver had been in the last few weeks, no matter how stubbornly and fervently she'd been drawn to him every time they were together, it would never work out for him and her. At least, she didn't think so anymore. Not for as long as her husband refuses to admit that she is his equal and to relinquish his control over her life. No man had ever been the boss of Felicity Smoak.

She had been hurt by the most significant men in her life – her father, her first love, and now the love of her life – and she was sick and tired of struggling to make things work. She rejected the nagging thought that the miseries in her life, which they had caused, were telltale signs that she was doomed to spend her life struggling to break free of their yoke and striving to find the freedom she had always been yearning for. She understood clearly that Oliver and her father were not the same; she wasn't that unreasonable. But the wounds that Noah Kuttler had inflicted upon her were too deep that often times, what she understood with her mind couldn't keep up fast enough with how her heart tended to respond to unpleasant encounters with Oliver that triggered past traumas of being an abandoned child as well the instinct to fight back and fend for herself. Without a doubt, Felicity was aware that she still loved Oliver with everything that's in her. But no, she wasn't willing to spend a lifetime with a man who viewed her as someone helpless and hopelessly dependent on him, a man who made it a habit to make decisions for her, for them.

Nevertheless, conflicting thoughts bothered her, confused her. Oliver had given quite an ardent, persuasive speech the other night, and in the middle of that speech he had solemnly reminded her that he did see her as an equal. Partners for life, he had told her. Our life. He had emphasized that as he looked straight into her eyes. The more she pondered on his words, the more she hurt. His double-edged declarations wounded her pride, which she gradually began to recognize yet still struggled to admit, especially after speaking with Walter Steele the following day.

As she sat alone on the couch in the living room with a glass of red wine in her hand, Felicity had pondered on Oliver's words further. She'd begun to realize that partnership implied that they shared control over their lives, lives that had been entwined by the vows they had sworn to live by until their dying breath. There had been two beautiful aspects of her relationship with Oliver that she had always considered precious: her being "his girl," and their being partners. The first one implied ownership. In every sense of his declaration that she will always be his girl, he had claimed her as his own, but she had never ever felt violated by the thought of being his before. In fact, every time that memory crossed her mind since the night she had taken a bullet for Sara Lance, she would tingle all over and bask in that overwhelming sense of an exclusive connection with the man of her dreams. Why in the world was the thought of belonging to him to repulsive to her now? Felicity had wondered.

The second aspect of partnership further complicated her initial appraisal of the current condition of her marriage. Long before they had exchanged wedding promises, Oliver had already established that he thought of her not as a subordinate but as an equal. In their vigilante business, most often than not, she was the brains and he was the muscle. In their friendship, they had provided mutual support and encouragement. As lovers they had given of themselves to each other wholly, despite the seemingly insurmountable challenges that sought to bar the way to each other. What on earth had possessed her to think that Oliver now stood in the way of her freedom of choice? How could she mistake his honest and earnest intention of protecting her as some aggressive form of male dominance? Had she misunderstood him? Oliver did say that as her husband, he was the man responsible to protect her and take care of her. He didn't see her as a subordinate; she was someone precious that he'd do anything, give anything to keep safe and secure. Felicity had realized that perhaps she would be wiser instead to appreciate the fact that she had a wonderful husband who'd stop at nothing to make sure she's unharmed and happy. She had realized that she did have an amazing partner who always had her back.

"I'm standing by my commitment to love you for the rest of my life," Oliver had said, "and that certainly includes protecting you from guys like him. It includes protecting you even from yourself… it's the right thing to do when an arrogant, malicious guy won't leave my wife alone…. You're the strongest, bravest woman I've ever known, but please… Honey, let me take care of you. Please don't take that away from me."

For a moment, a warm smile pushed the corners of her lips upwards. Felicity's cold heart warmed up as she mulled over her husband's words and her realizations.

But soon the warmth was again overcome by the menacing chill of doubt and fear. Would she be willing to risk getting hurt again? She could take the risk, but would she live through one more devastating blow? She was well aware of how easy it had always been to lose herself in this wonderful and beautiful man. Her mother used to say that she always lit up like Christmas at the mere mention of Oliver's name, at his mere presence in the same room with her. She remembered sharing that with her mother when the Team had tried to rescue Ray Palmer from Damien Darkh. Donna had advised her not to doubt Oliver and the love they shared. Donna had been the one who made her realize that love had a peculiar way of making two people rise above their differences and find their way back to each other after every fight. Her mother had assured her that she was lucky to have someone like Oliver in her life, someone who wouldn't lie to her like her father had lied to her mother time and time again. Donna had been frequently right in the past, but that one time, Felicity was convinced that her mother was dead wrong.

After the lies, and now that he'd angered her again for wanting to intervene on her behalf in the issue with the divorce lawyer, she'd become wary about the undeniable effect that he had on her. A month ago, she had already been sure about filing for divorce, but the recent changes she had observed in her husband had made her reconsider. Taking a sip of her wine, Felicity thought that reconsidering and giving their relationship a chance had been a mistake. This time, she wasn't going to let him charm his way back to her gullible, fragile heart. Not anymore. She had made that mistake too many times before.

Nonetheless, Felicity remembered something else that happened that night after her talk with her mother. She and Oliver had cleared the air, kissed and made up. She had been the one who told him that they'd be okay, because they had found themselves in each other. As she lay down on her bed, Felicity was hardly able to push back the memory of the intimate evening that ensued after that special kiss they shared, unable to numb herself from the spark that raced throughout her body as one passionate memory of intimacy after another began to resurface in her mind. Reminiscing those moments with the love of her life brought tears to her eyes, rivulets of anguish that flowed from her eyes down to her cheeks and onto her pillow. She wrapped her arms around her upper body, imagining how it used to feel when Oliver's robust yet gentle arms were the ones that held her close to his chest. Those were the nights she felt the safest, in his embrace, when she felt his every heartbeat reverberating against her bare back.

Would she making the biggest mistake if she turned her back on everything they had? Ending their marriage would hurt like hell, but she's convinced she'll live through it. Like she had lived through every single tragedy in her past. At this point, she'd decided that the pain of losing Oliver would not hurt as much as the pain of losing herself. Tomorrow she would take that necessary step. She might live to regret it, but at least she'll live.

Felicity curled up on her side, pulled the duvet up to her chest, and cried herself to sleep.

Day 22

Felicity called Walter Steele as soon as she arrived at her office the day after she left the letter and the ring at the lair. She wanted to ask her very good friend for a reference. She had already asked Quentin for help about a month ago, but since Harwood had turned out to be nothing but a big-shot creep, she needed a new divorce lawyer. When she tried to recall who else among her close friends had gone through divorce, she had only thought of two – John Diggle and Walter Steele. John was out of the question, since she knew he'd been rooting for Oliver all the way. The only other alternative was asking Palmer Tech's legal department for a reference, but she didn't want her personal life entangled in a web of controversy with her professional life, and she definitely did not want to be the subject of more office gossip. So, it had to be Walter Steele. She thought that he would most certainly understand.

Walter was nice and accommodating. He had given her the name and contact details of the lawyer that had processed his divorce with Moira years back, but not without asking that she hear him out. She did. Walter asked her to reconsider her decision, vouching for Oliver's sincerity in mending their marriage. He confessed that he and Oliver had also had a lengthy discussion about his marital issues some weeks back. That important piece of information tempted Felicity to feel betrayed that Oliver had discussed their problems with a third party, but just the same, it had confirmed how serious her husband had been all this time to win her back. Walter told her that even though he was risking his friendship with her for offering unsolicited advice, he counted it worth the risk to encourage her to pursue reconciliation and give their marriage a chance. For the sake of friendship, and because Walter had seemed genuinely concerned, Felicity had acquiesced to put off calling the new lawyer in favor of thinking through her decision one last time for a couple of weeks.

Great. The thought that another member of the male species had once again managed to overrule her decision crossed Felicity's rambling mind. What was it with her and the significant men in her life? What power had they over her that they could get her to change her mind? In her college days Cooper had convinced her to become a cyber-activist and to hack federal sites illegally in the name of what he'd brainwashed her to be the truly American dream. When her father mysteriously reappeared just before they had taken down Damien Darkh, he had almost convinced her that he had nothing but the best intentions for leaving her and her mother to protect them, and that he earnestly wanted to revive a relationship with his only child.

Since the day he walked into her IT office with a bullet-riddled laptop, Oliver Queen had managed to light up her life even during the darkest times. Even as she wallowed in jealousy, watching him get together with flings like Helena and McKenna, a one-night-stander like Isabel Rochev, and with the women in his life that he had serious relationships with, like the Lance sisters. Each time, she had chosen to stay, in spite of how complicated their relationship had been. In spite of the times when her hopes of a future with him had been dashed – like when he had told her that he loved her only to fool Slade, and when he had asked her out on a date only to break it off with her before a legitimate relationship had even begun.

Felicity sighed, second-guessing herself. She almost picked up her phone to contact the new lawyer's firm, but she relented. She promised Walter to give it two weeks. It wouldn't kill her to wait, for she thought that nothing would change anyway.

While Oliver did say that he was still committed to love her for the rest of her life (and she believed him), and Felicity was sure that she still loved him very much, she thought it was foolish for them to try again. One, she didn't want to risk getting hurt again. No, not by him. Another wound inflicted on her scarred heart would most certainly be the death of her. Two, while many things about him had evidently changed, she didn't think that he was capable of change in those aspects of their relationship that mattered to her. His words of affirmation and his deeds of affection in the past few weeks could never guarantee that he would never lie to her again and that he was a truly changed man. And three, she didn't think that either of them could recover from such a low blow as her having returned his ring of promise, especially not with the impersonal manner she had given it back.

Felicity had thought that ending her marriage face to face would have been a trap she couldn't escape. She would not be able to stand her ground if she would do it with his captivating eyes burning her skin with ardent fire. She wouldn't be able to follow through with the tender touch of his hand on her shoulder, begging her to stay. So she had avoided the snare and had opted to leave a letter with the ring. Never mind if he thought her to be a coward. She just couldn't bear to see him again without the fear of being swayed.

Why was she afraid of being swayed if she was sure that she was doing the right thing? That thought distracted her from work all morning. Oliver's words also echoed in the canyons of her mind. "Partners for life… Our life… I'm standing by my commitment to love you for the rest of my life…" What kept her from saying those words back to her husband even if she loved him, heart and soul? She must really be a coward, she thought. A proud one at that.

Walter's words also reinforced the conflicting thoughts that fought hard to be given another chance at re-evaluation: Oliver's sincerity, a marriage worth fighting for, reconciliation. Even her mother's bits and pieces of advice disturbed her all day. Some of the realizations she had reflected upon last night came rushing back. Had she made an irrevocable mistake – the rash decision of giving back her ring and giving up on their marriage? Was it too late to reconsider? And because Felicity was an expert at multi-tasking, she was able to process those thoughts alongside CEO tasks for the day. But the more she processed, guilt began to creep in. Had she been too harsh on him? Had she really been too proud to give a repentant husband a fair chance in the name of self-preservation? Since when had their love for each other not been enough?

Oliver did say that pursuing the divorce was her choice, and that he won't get in her way if she were dead set on pursuing it. The letter and the ring had conveyed that message to him in no uncertain terms. Sure, Oliver loved her with his life, but he might never be able to forgive her for giving up on them that easily. He might never recover. He'd never take her back, not after she had spurned his love with such finality, she thought. At this point, even if she was beginning to realize certain things, she believed it was too late to turn back.

For Felicity, even if conflicting thoughts and feelings made a tangled mess in her mind and heart, and even if she had promised Walter to wait, the next two weeks was just a delay of the inevitable.

For Oliver, though, it was a different story.

The night before, he had decided that he was finally letting Felicity have her way instead of fighting her about her choice to end things between them. He had told Dig that he wasn't giving up on their marriage, but that he was giving in to what his wife wanted because he had already done everything he could to win her back.

But when he arrived at City Hall that Tuesday morning, he read from the journal that true love never fails and that it always hopes. He had further read that love is never defeated, that while it sometimes suffers even the most severe setbacks, it always finds a way. "Love endures," he'd learned, and it inspired hope in him to keep his door open for Felicity to come back to him.

The dare for the day had him write a letter of commitment to his spouse, stating why he is committing to the marriage until death and declaring that he has purposed to love her no matter what. He was supposed to leave the letter in a place where she will find it. This had made Oliver rethink his next move. Giving in did not necessarily mean that he couldn't express his undying love for his wife one more time. One more dare won't hurt, he figured. So, he picked up a pen and wrote his wife a simply-worded yet heartfelt love letter on the mayor's stationery, placed it in a sealed envelope, and wrote Felicity's name on it. He planned to bring it to her office at Palmer Tech during lunch hour or bring it home and leave it on her bed tonight before he left for the bunker.

Love endures. Oliver needed that. And it was a good thing he did, before the call from Dr. Henderson came in; otherwise, he would have spiraled down straight to depression.

He was about to leave the office to deliver the letter to Felicity's office personally when his phone rang. He hung up after five minutes, even more downcast and discouraged than before. Henderson explained in technical terms that he tested positive for both oligospermia and asthenospermia. One test confirmed that his sperm count was dangerously low, and another test verified poor sperm motility, which made it difficult for any of his sperm cells to fertilize an egg cell. That explained why they couldn't get pregnant even if Felicity was regularly ovulating.

Oliver didn't pretend that he understood all of the medical jargon, but he was smart enough to know one thing: that he was the one with the fertility problem. He was the reason why his wife's desire to mother his son or daughter would never become a reality. He couldn't understand how in the world he had impregnated Samantha Clayton pre-island if this was the case. Something terribly wrong must have happened that led to this. His impotence. And it crushed him. Like nothing else in his past ever had. It hurt more than any physical torture he had previously endured. For the first time in his life, he suddenly felt powerless, useless.

Henderson picked up on Oliver's despair, as he was quiet all throughout the doctor's very detailed report and explanation. The good doctor was quick to encourage Oliver that sperm count does vary over time and that temporary low counts are common. A single test that confirms a low count may not be a representative result, so if Oliver really intended to pursue treatment, the doctor would be running the same tests repeatedly over a period of time. Fortunately, his other tests showed no anatomical obstructions in the reproductive tract, so surgery was not necessary. However, Henderson said that he wanted to prescribe medications and suggested that Oliver and Felicity consider intracytoplasmic sperm injection and in vitro fertilization or IVF as soon as his sperm count and sperm motility improve. Once again, the doctor reiterated how important it was for Oliver to adjust his lifestyle – meaning, he stays fit, avoids becoming overweight, gets adequate rest, exercises only moderately, and avoids any form of stress that would reduce sexual function and impair fertility. Oliver thanked the doctor despite the news and told him that he would call back once he has thought through his options carefully.

There was a time when Oliver could confide in his best friend whenever he was down and discouraged. His wife had always been there for him. She'd be his shock absorber at the end of a stressful day at City Hall or after a failed mission as Star City's masked protector. She grieved with him each time he'd lost someone or something important. He loved being enveloped in her arms anytime he was having a bad day. When the news from Dr. Henderson began to really sink in, Oliver yearned for Felicity, the one person whom he wanted so much to be his confidant. But it felt like he was groping in the dark to no avail, since he had already lost his best friend. There was no point in opening up to her about the sad news now. He knows both their dreams may never come true.

The delivery to Palmer Tech was foregone. Oliver asked Diggle to bring him to the bunker, where he poured out his dismay to his friend. Dig helped him think through his options, but there was no use. Oliver didn't think that any of the suggestions of Dr. Henderson mattered anymore, because Felicity had ended their marriage. And though Dig reasoned that "it ain't over until the fat lady sings," Oliver was persuaded that it was just a matter of time before the divorce papers arrive for his signature.

"What did the journal teach you today, man?" Diggle asked him.

"Love endures. It always finds a way," he murmured.

"Then find a way," Diggle challenged him. "Don't tell me you're just going to sign the papers when they come. You can't lose hope, Oliver. Just like you can't lose hope that you can be a father again someday."

"I wish," Oliver responded. The gloom was unmistakably evident in his voice.

Diggle frowned. He thought it was ironic that of all the times Oliver would run out of tears to cry, it was when he had finally hit rock bottom. His friend had not shed a tear since they arrived at the bunker, but his sullen expression and his sagging shoulders betrayed how dejected and demoralized Oliver was. They hadn't realized they had been talking – and refraining from talking – for hours, until Thea and Laurel arrived.

The two men acted like everything was fine and carried on with their vigilante duties, not letting their two female teammates in on their secrets. But Thea and Laurel were smarter than that. Felicity did not show up at the bunker for two consecutive nights now. It didn't take a genius like her to put two and two together. They, however, had no inkling about the infertility issue, so they were not as anxious as Diggle was when police commissioner Lance called that the SCPD received an anonymous tip and needed back-up for a raid on a Vertigo laboratory in one of the more isolated fringes on the eastern side of the Glades. The four of them suited up, but Diggle's focus was divided between the mission and keeping an eye on his troubled friend. Thankfully, the tip was a false alarm, and the raid did not go down as planned. They went their separate ways just before midnight, with Diggle insisting that he drive Oliver home.

Day 23

The following day turned out to be very different though.

First, Oliver decided that he wasn't going to keep secrets from Felicity anymore. He was going to call her and ask for a chance for them to talk in person and bring closure, if that's what she really wanted. He wanted to hear her side and get some answers to his questions before he finally releases her. He no longer felt that a good talk was useless, because he had read from the journal that morning that love stands on the truth.

Oliver learned that a strong marriage was anchored on truth and not on deceit, pretense, secrets, and schemes. Love rejoices in honesty, integrity, and veracity. Sure, he had already confessed his lies and asked for his wife's forgiveness, and she had forgiven him. And even if she had already decided to end their marriage, he figured that he had nothing to lose if he opened up about some things that he'd still been keeping from her. She had already taken that fateful step after all, and he didn't think she was going to look back. But he wasn't about to let her go without telling her the whole truth about his noble and sincere attempts to win her back. He didn't really think that it would make Felicity change her mind, but if the truth could still save his marriage, it was worth a try. If not, at least it would set him free from the burdens of secrecy he'd been carrying.

The dare for the day challenged him to be honest with his spouse about an issue or aspect of their relationship that he has not really been transparent to her about. He was supposed to confess any form of dishonesty or pretense, and then promise to be truthful from then on. That's when he decided that it was about time to tell her that he had gone in for fertility testing and about how his life had been transformed by the lessons from the love dares. Oliver also thought it was a good idea to offer her the dare diary – to pass on to her the valuable lessons and insights he'd learned – for when she eventually meets the right person and decides to remarry. Deep down inside, he hoped she wouldn't, because he was sure he wouldn't. As far as he was concerned, Felicity was endgame.

So he called Felicity a couple of times, but she didn't pick up. He texted her, asking if they could talk, but she didn't text back. It was going to be harder than he thought.

Second, Diggle didn't report for both his day and night jobs. He called in sick, having eaten some leftovers that strangely weren't tolerated well by his very tolerant stomach. He told Oliver that he would most probably feel better by the afternoon, but Oliver insisted that he stay home and rest. Oliver assured him that they could handle the patrols that night.

Third, the SCPD received another anonymous tip about the location of a Vertigo laboratory three blocks away from the address that they raided the previous night. Commissioner Lance once again asked for the assistance of the Green Arrow and his team, and this time, they validated the intel using Felicity's search programs. Despite his doubts about whether or not his head was really in the game, Oliver suited up with Laurel and Thea and headed for the location ahead of the dispatched police squad. Without another teammate manning comms and camera feeds. Oliver, Thea, and Laurel had gone in blind.

The three of them decided to separate after accomplishing a security breach since they weren't exactly sure where the main lab was located in the run-down two-storey building. Oliver easily subdued the guards from the southern perimeter and made his way inside through the rear entrance. Laurel and Thea made their way to the eastern perimeter, which was unguarded when they arrived, but as soon as they entered the first floor through an open window, they went their separate ways, searching for the lab and putting down and securing everyone who stood in their way. As Thea and Laurel made their way to the second floor on the stairwell at the eastern and western ends of the building, they could hear the faint sound of police sirens from far away. They knew help was on the way. But by the time they reached the lab on the second floor, they were too late. Oliver's limp, unconscious body lay on the cold, tiled floor with a syringe sticking out of his neck.

As Thea checked for her brother's pulse and breathing, Laurel carefully pulled out and examined the syringe with a few milliliters of blue liquid left in it. When Laurel looked up, she saw several vials filled with blue liquid labeled Vertigo on the table. She picked up a vial and reached for one of the aerosol spray cans on the overhead shelf that were also labeled Vertigo. It didn't take her long to deduce that Oliver had been stabbed in the neck with a concentrated dose of the reformulated Vertigo, and her heart was suddenly gripped with fear.

"Thea, call John and tell him to meet us at the bunker right now. Oliver needs medical attention. Stat!" Laurel prompted Thea, panic evident in her voice. Thea understood instantly what Laurel meant.

As soon as she had spoken to Diggle, she and Laurel prepared to move Oliver and carry him to the van together. They could hardly lift him, especially since he was dead weight. They did manage to get him to the van, half dragging him into the vehicle, by the time police officers arrived at the scene and scoured the building behind them to apprehend the suspects. Laurel thought she'd have to put off speaking with her father about what went down. They had to bring Oliver back to the bunker and give him medical attention ASAP. She had also taken a couple of vials and a spray can for analysis, so that they could find out more about what they were up against; it could also help save Oliver's life. So she drove off, practically breaking all known traffic rules just to get him to safety.

They were about ten blocks away from the bunker when Thea noticed Oliver's unconscious and previously limp body begin to stiffen. Within seconds, his body began to quake. "Laurel!" Thea screamed, causing her friend to look back. Laurel saw Oliver thrashing violently, his mouth foaming white. Laurel responded frantically, "He's having a seizure!"

Thea's hand instinctively came up to cover her mouth as her other hand reached for her brother's wrist. She tried to hold him down as best she could. "No. No, no, no!" she cried. "Please, Laurel, hurry! He needs help! Right now!"

A/N: You might have noticed that the first part was quite lengthy - the part where we get inside Felicity's head - and also quite confusing. That was intentional. I wanted readers to somehow experience her inner turmoil as she vacillated between pushing through with her decision to end the marriage and relenting from it. Is she changing her mind, or not?

(Spoiler Alert) One very insightful reader has said to me that she hopes Felicity and Oliver don't get back together just because someone in the story dies, because that's just cliche. Yes it is. But the fact that Oliver is now in danger does not mean that he's going to die. And while his serious condition will be a factor in how things between them play out, it will not be the main cause of the HEA that I promised in this fic.

So I hope that you, dear readers, will stick with this story. 23 dares down, 17 to go. The question is, how will the last 17 dares go down?