Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Arrow. Characters, places, etc. (i.e. everything) belongs to Warner Bros. and DC Comics

Chapter XIV

"How did this happen?" Thea asked aloud, disbelief clearly written all over her face as she watched her boyfriend competing with her brother on the ring toss. This was just ridiculous. Too ridiculous. "You're both acting like idiots." She crossed her arms over her chest and looked to the amused blonde beside her, demanding, "Tell them they're acting like idiots."

"Umm…" Felicity trailed off, her mouth slanted and bright blue eyes rolling skyward as she thought back to the events of the past few months. "Honestly, this isn't that bad. Plus we get prizes. I'm not sure about you, but I'm a big stuffed animal fan. My bedroom's not lined with them or anything creepy like that. I actually had a roommate who did that. I couldn't stand them staring at me. Felt like I was being watched all the time. Their eyes would follow me everywhere. Then, before the semester ended, she suddenly became a huge baseball fan and I was waking up to guy's butts every morning. That one I'm not complaining about." Felicity laughed for a second before quieting at Thea's indifferent look.

Shaking her head, Thea turned on her booted heel and walked away. "I'm going to ride the bumper cars. If anyone cares," she called out, dropping her empty soda cup into a nearby trashcan. "Worst date ever."

Felicity couldn't fault the young girl. It'd been a long night, after a very long day, and despite the obvious dose of hot-tempered testosterone, she was enjoying herself. Plus, her boyfriend was absolutely pounding Roy at all the games on the carnival grounds, but she'd had no doubt of that. Her brow knit slightly as she glanced back in the direction Thea had left as she recalled how the younger Queen hadn't seemed to doubt her brother's abilities either.

She just didn't want them competing over everything, and Felicity couldn't fault her for that. This was supposed to be her and Ollie's date night too, and he'd gone alpha dog as soon as he spotted his little sister's boyfriend.

Okay, so the more she thought about it, the more she was agreeing with Thea. Not the best date ever, but still, Felicity had been on worse. There was the one with that guy, Ted Daniels who pretended to work in applied sciences so he could get her to hack into QC files and ended up in the middle of a firefight between him and Ollie before she was unceremoniously pushed out of the broken window. And Daniels wasn't even aware of any connection between her and the Hood to begin with.

Then there was the time Vanch kidnapped her and brought her to Queen Consolidated to electronically clear his name and set him up with a new identity. Granted, her and Ollie weren't officially dating at the time, but it still was not the best night out she'd ever had. So yeah, all things considered, this wasn't the worse date Felicity Smoak had ever been on. Not the best, but not the worst either.

Still… "If either of you is listening, I'm going to ride the bumper cars with Thea. If you care. At all." Nope. Nothing.

Hours earlier, Felicity had still not heard from either Mr. Robertson or Mrs. Adler about the promotion. It'd only been a week. They had a lot of people to go through – including people outside the office. It would take more than a week to go through all those interviews – not to mention remember everyone and why they stood out and had qualities capable for the job.

She'd gone about her work with a business as usual attitude and the week had flown by the same way for the most part, but this Friday had seemed exceptionally slow. Like, watching paint dry slow.

"I'm taking A.J. and Carly to the Fair tonight," Diggle had announced after he and Oliver finished their afternoon workout. "You guys should come too."

"Isn't it set up for the entire weekend?" Oliver immediately pointed out, already lost in research on Elyse Hessington – another big name on the notorious list. "Why not tomorrow? Or Sunday? Tonight's a better night to pay a visit to Hessington."

"Maybe for you, but A.J.'s been looking forward to this all week. He gets to stay up, eat and drink so much junk food he'll bust like a balloon, and he'll probably tire out after a few hours so Carly and I can get some "us" time when we get back to her place."

"So you're going to fill him up with popcorn and cotton candy-"

"Can't forget the soda."

"Candy apples," Felicity cut in smiling dreamily, "I love candy apples. Especially at the fair. They're sweeter and gooier than anywhere else."

"-just so he can tire himself out earlier and you can get down with his mom. Who you don't live with," Oliver added, sending a meaningful look Dig's way.

Dig just smirked. "Never say "get down" again. But yeah, that's the plan."

"Let me know how that works out for you."

"You don't think it will work?"

"I know it won't work. I used to do it with Thea all the time. She always ended up getting hyper – running all over the grounds, which is how she got the nickname Speedy – then she'd get sick, and I always ended up spending the night making sure she didn't blow chunks all over the room instead of with the girl I was trying to impress." Oliver shook his head. "Of course, the points would always carry over to the next date, but still…"

"I'm sure Thea loved being used as a ploy to get girls."

"Why do you think she'd always go running off, wanting me to chase her? She's smart. She knew. I'm pretty sure she used to fake the stomach aches too."

"Well it'll be worth it to spend time with my family. Which also includes both of you." Diggle set his hands on Felicity's shoulders as she smiled up at him. "A few hours wouldn't kill either of you. You've both been stressed all week."

"I'm not stressed," she immediately shot back, clearly a little agitated.

"Of course not. You're always this grumpy in the afternoon." Dig checked his watch and cursed under his breath. "I've got to go and get changed. But if you two change your minds, A.J. and I will be happy to have company."

Oliver watched Felicity stare at the monitors with glazed eyes. She'd thrown a pitiful "Have fun" at Dig as he left, but kept herself facing forward toward her computer screens. Her fingers drew idle patterns across the keys, making a soft scraping sound with her polished nails. Every once in a while, the fingers on her right hand would go to her ear to play with her earing a bit, before it went back to creating meaningless patterns.

Leaning his backside against the table, he tilted his head to the side and stared down at her. "So how was your day?" he asked quietly, pulling her from whatever space she had drifted off to.

Smiling softly, almost to herself, she replied. "Long. Still no word on the promotion."

"Well, there is word. But you strictly forbid me from telling-"

"Nothing! Say nothing! New subject!" she practically ordered, pointing a finger to his chest. Her blue eyes pleaded the opposite. "Tell me everything," they cried silently. Pleaded, really.

Oliver smiled softly. "Okay. How about some time away from it all, then?"

Diggle didn't look surprised when he saw them a few hours later, on the carnival grounds, by that time with Thea and Roy, and arguing what ride or game they were going to try next. Ollie and Roy were already well into their my-(stick)-is-bigger-than-your-(stick) competitions and Felicity had her second candy apple of the night, leaving her in a content haze of sugar for the time being, while Thea was exercising her patience and letting "boys be boys".

On the major plus side, Felicity hadn't once thought of the impending promotion for the first time since…Wednesday, if she was recalling correctly.

"I just don't see why they have to act so…immature," Thea told Felicity as the genius caught up with her in the line for the bumper cars. "Especially Ollie. I thought he grew up on that stupid island, and now he's acting like such a – ugh!"

Felicity set a hand on the teenager's shoulder and smiled. "It's just his way of protecting you. I'm not saying it isn't dumb, but the male population basically speaks for itself most of the time," she assured the dark haired girl, motioning to a group of teenage boys throwing soda's at each other and making obnoxious sounds. They both grimaced at the sight.

"I just don't see why he can't give Roy a chance. It's not like I made a huge deal when he started dating you! I was surprised, a little, but it's not like I jumped up and said he was too good for you or threatened your life or anything."

"Yeah, thank you for that."

Thea waved her off. "I'm just saying, when he dates someone, I don't go out of my way to embarrass him, but when I date someone, he goes total caveman."

"No, but up until a few months ago you were also under the influence of drugs. Often. And Oliver…well, he wasn't there for you when you fell into all of that, and he feels guilty about it. He knows what it was like, and I'm sure the last thing he imagined for his sweet little sister was to see her become a mini-former Ollie. This is kind of his way of making sure that doesn't happen."

"I'm never going to be that innocent and naïve again."

"Neither is he. Neither am I. Or Dig. Or Roy. Or anyone over the age of two, really, but it doesn't hurt to want to try and hold onto that sometimes. To remember a better, happier version of you or someone you love."

Thea stopped and looked over at Felicity, watching the blonde's ruby lips curl into a soft, genuine smile that so many people she knew faked every day. They were silent for a few minutes as the line slowly crept forward, the group at the beginning preparing to race to their cars like horses waiting for the opening bang of the next race. Then, the youngest Queen spoke, taking the genius by surprise. "You really are too good for him."

Felicity blinked, her hand reach up to readjust her glasses subconsciously before she abruptly lowered it, remembering she was wearing contacts. "What makes you think that?"

"I'm not the only one that thinks it. He does too. I can tell – the way he looks at you sometimes, like he can't believe you're still there," Thea shrugged as they watched the others in front shoot out to grab a car, allowing the two of them to move up to the gates and prepare for the next ride. "I doubt he realizes he's being so transparent, but I'm his sister. I'm pretty sure I was born with a gene that could sense his moods or something. I just like choosing to ignore it and pissing him off a lot more."

Felicity was absolutely taken aback by the younger Queen's observation. Not even a year ago could she have seen herself with someone like Oliver Queen. Of course, on a very base level she was attracted to him, but to say they weren't each other's type was putting it mildly. Not to mention him being assumed dead and everything. Not that she didn't see herself as not being good enough for him, either. Sure she had more brain than boobs, but that brain knew it mattered more than any amount of silicone enhanced…body parts. And while she was also very, very aware of her, for lack of a more accurate term, verbal diarrhea, there was more that mattered to a relationship than good conversation. Conversation was a good place to start, but it didn't have to be fantastic and witty and roll on and on or anything. It ranked above silicone, for sure, but it honestly it could definitely be ranked below looks since that was the first thing a person noticed about another person and-

Jumping back as Thea snapped her fingers in her face, the teenager rolled her dark eyes and muttered. "You think way too much. C'mon. Almost time for our turn."

"I'm not saying I'm not amazing," she replied casting a quick glance toward the arena where bumper cars were in a duel of strength and power, "or, you know, humble obviously, since I'm basically tooting my own horn of awesome." She pumped a fist up and down as if pulling on the chain of a horn, smiling playfully although she knew Thea was probably think something along the lines of, I'm hanging out with a dork. "But," Felicity continued, lowering her arm back to her side, "I'm clearly awesome in certain areas of life, just like everyone else. With the exception of hardcore criminals and killers, whose high points are being hardcore criminals and killers. Because that's not being awesome, that's being insane. And creepy. Also mentally unstable, in a very bad way, whereas I'm more mentally unstable in an anti-social way.

"Anyway, I'm not too good for Oliver. He's really a great guy and after some of the things he's told me about his time on Lian Yu-" Thea's brow pinched and her lips pursed in interest at that statement, "-it's not hard to understand how he changed so much. Why he had to change so much. I mean, you can read stories about people who are forced to survive, like Robinson Crusoe, and soldiers who have been separated from their units, and old pirate tales, and old comic books, but to hear about it from someone who had to go through it… Even just a tale or two, it makes you think, what would I have done if that were me? Would I have been brave enough to do that?" Felicity shook her head. "I'd like to think I would, but the truth is we don't really know how we will react to things until we've met them face-to-face. And, most of the time, when people comment on what they would do in those moments after hearing of them, deep down they hope they never have to find out."

Thea stared at the older woman in interest, clearly wanting to mention something about what Felicity said. Before she could the bumper cars slowed to a stop and the current riders were allowed to exit the motorized vehicles while a few of the attendants were telling the waiting hoard to ready for the next great race. Instead the teenager's lips pulled to one side in that reckless, don't-give-a-shit half smile of hers and warned, "Get ready to have the awesome bumped out of you," before the gate was opened and the new drivers raced in for the latest round.

Fifteen minutes later, Thea was wincing in disgust as she looked at Felicity's extended and bleeding tongue. "Maybe some ice will help," she guessed as she handed the blonde techie some napkins to try and stop the bleeding. "You can put one of those in your own mouth and I'll grab a cup of ice."

"Ithe would um ith," was the garbled response from the young genius as her eyes rolled skyward and she balled up and set one of the cheap, thin napkins. "I can't buleave I bit mah tawng."

"Really? I heard it happens a lot on bumper cars. Mostly to little kids who aren't used to the impact, so they're like mid-laugh or something then comes the crash and then their teeth…well, obviously you know the magic formula," the brunette smirked before clearing her throat and Felicity's angry glare. "I'll get that numbing ice for you. And see if I can find a doctor or a dentist! Dentist wouldn't care about setting their hands in your candy-coated mouth."

"Ithe nawt wandy-wooted." Felicity grimaced before turning to the trashcan beside her and spit out the wad of spit and blood-soaked napkin before wiping her mouth with one of the many extras Thea had brought. "Ugh…" she groaned before balling up another thin napkin and shoving it in her mouth to soak up the coppery taste of her own blood.

As if her night could not get worse now that there was added bloodshed, her embarrassment increased when she turned around and saw a confused and concerned Tommy and Laurel approaching her, with Thea already far from sight. "What happened?" Tommy immediately asked as Laurel picked up one of the napkins from the stack beside Felicity and wiped at her chin.

Reaching into her pocket, Felicity pulled out her cell phone and immediately scrolled down her notepad. Lightning quick fingers typed Bit my tongue riding the bumper cars before she turned the phone toward them so the concerned couple could read the message.

Tommy's dark brows shot up and he fought valiantly to hide his smile. "Really? I always thought that was an urban myth."

"Tommy," Laurel warned, sending her boyfriend a sharp look, "this could be serious. She could need stiches."

"On her tongue? They do that? There's an actual Tongue Doctor that exists in the world." He held his hands up defensively as both women glared at him. "I'm being completely serious. I have no idea if there is or isn't one."

"My sister had a friend who bit the tip of his tongue clean off while skateboarding back in elementary school. They had to stitch it back on," Laurel informed him before turning back to Felicity, only to see her back. She'd leaned over to once again spit out the over-soaked napkin that had been in her mouth. "Where's Oliver? Did he leave to get the car?"

Felicity took the offered fresh napkin and shoved it in her mouth before turning her attention back to her phone and typing, He's playing carnival games with Roy. We pretty much went our separate ways.

She watched as Tommy and Laurel's eyes met, sharing a silent communication only meant for the other to understand. After a beat, Tommy nodded before giving Felicity and easy-going smile and patting her shoulder, "I'm going to see if I can find him. I'm sure he'd like to know what happened and if he can help."

Felicity nodded before turning her attention back to her cell and started typing again. Heard about your run-in with Mr. Horrible. Why don't you like him?

Laurel's mouth immediately shifted into an angry frown. "Travis Hart?" Felicity nodded. "He's the biggest ass you could ever meet. No, he's more than an ass. He's every bad word in every language. And from what I heard, your run-in was worse than my recent one. He tried to run you over?"

Bright blue eyes rolled up toward the night sky, her fingers already sliding across the keyboard on her phone's shiny screen. Said he "didn't see me". I'm blonde. That's usually the first thing guy's notice. It may come from a bottle, but still, that seems to make it more noticeable to guys. Then they usually see the glasses and immediately lose one-night-stand interest. Which usually means losing interest altogether.

"Those guys aren't worth the time anyway."

Truth.

Laurel grinned before grimacing as Felicity spit out another wad of napkin, but this time didn't take another. "I had a friend who had a huge crush on Travis back when we were all in high school," she began as Felicity settled back on the bench. "Travis has always been addicted to speed. Not the drug, just the racing. There's no race he can ever say no to. As soon as you challenge him, he's in, and he's upping the ante. He always has to add to the challenge.

"Well, toward the summer after graduation, Barb became Travis's new lucky charm. And she loved every second of it. She finally got the guy of her dreams, except she didn't see the danger he was putting her in. At first, it was just showing up to his races, being there to cheer him on, but then he started using her as a bartering chip basically. "Winner gets a kiss from my girl", "Winner gets a dance with my girl", and she never outright told me, but I wouldn't be surprised if he ever called out, "Winner gets a night with my girl". All I know is when she told me he was doing that and how uncomfortable it was making her, I told her she needed to tell him that. Cheering on your daredevil boyfriend is fine. Becoming an object that can clearly be thrown away so casually… "End it," I told her. He clearly didn't care about her if he was willing to throw her around like that, but she told me, "No. He hasn't lost. He wouldn't do it if he thought he was going to lose me." She just couldn't see it, and that's why I can't say this was entirely his fault, but…

"Near the end of that summer, Travis decided on a new challenge. He was going to race some idiot blindfolded and Barb was going to be his eyes." Laurel shook her head angrily, her eyes hard and edgy as she glanced away, lost in a bad memory. "He dragged her at some point. Into the car, into bed, I don't know. But when she was in the hospital, there a bruise on her arm the size and shape of his hand and the doctors were clear it was pretty fresh. They'd gotten t-boned by a drunk driver in that race with Barb's side taking the brunt of the hit." Her brown eyes misted over. "She was touch and go for months, her spine was so messed up. She's in a wheelchair now. Her dad tried to sue Hart for damages and hospital bills and endangering his daughter, but no one there that night would say she wasn't willing. Not that it wouldn't do much good either, since pretty much everyone but Travis and Barb were too drunk or high to prove without a shadow of a doubt that Travis was at fault for that.

"It was one of the things she loved about him. He was straightedge and so was she. Of course, coming from different circles of life also meant he had enough money to sweep it under the rug and Barb and the drunk, who had even less to her name then Barb's dad did, were left to lose everything. Not that the woman didn't deserve some penance for what she did either, but Travis Hart deserved his too. Instead he and his family found a price that was agreeable to the bureaucrats and the only people who remember it are the ones that choose to remember it. Like me, and Barb, and her dad."

"Dat's horbible." Felicity scowled at her still-scrabbled words, though the sound of her voice brought a small smile to Laurel's face. "Sowwy. Dis is horbible do."

Laurel bit back her smile before asking, "Bleeding stop?"

"Pwettie swore. I can'd fweel mah twongue anymowe." Her nostrils flared as she went back to typing on her cell. Can't feel my tongue anymore. Is there any saliva or blood dripping from my mouth? I can't tell.

"No, but maybe so ice or water would be good to help flush it out. Then some cotton balls to soak it up more, since you can't taste anything."

Yeah. Then I have to get a hold of my doctor. No offense, but a professional second opinion would be helpful.

"Oh no, I agree. First thing tomorrow, do whatever you have to for an appointment."

"She's not going to have to do anything," Thea called as she arrived on the scene, dragging a tired-looking man carrying dark medical bag along with her in one hand, and juggling two cups of melted ice in the other. "He's not a dentist, but he's portable and actually answered when I shouted "Is there a doctor at this fair?" around the grounds. So two pluses outweighing the minus." Turning to the doctor, she nodded toward Felicity. "Miss Awesome here bit her tongue. Take a look."

Felicity and Laurel glanced dubiously at each other before once again looking toward the aging man who gained a bit of pride at Thea's words before he motioned for Laurel to move away so he could sit next to Felicity. Getting to her feet, Laurel moved to stand next to Thea. "She'll still be going for a second opinion," the attorney told the doctor as she and Thea hovered over each of his slim shoulders. "No offense, but a check-up at dark fairgrounds isn't the best place to get a one hundred percent medical opinion."

"Oh, I implore you to actually see your own physician immediately," the graying doctor agreed as he opened his medical bag and pulled out a head lamp and slipping it over his short, salt and pepper hair. "Alright," he switched the lamp on, nearly blinding Felicity as it shined directly in her eyes, "let's see it."

"Naughty," Felicity heard Thea whisper to Laurel. She could practically see the shadows of the young girl smirking and the older woman giving her a dubious stare. The doctor glared at her as she still refused to open her mouth.

"Miss, swallow and open your mouth."

"Shoodant dat go de otha way," she couldn't stop herself from saying and Thea and Laurel immediately guffawed. The doctor just glared before grabbing her chin and lowering his lamp to get a look at her injured muscle. He hummed to himself as he got a look at the area where her two front teeth had nearly met her bottom row through her pink tongue.

"Lift your tongue." She did as he instructed and heard him hum again before he released her chin. She rubbed at her jaw and glared at him, not noticing the shadow that had fallen over them.

"How is she?" Oliver's voice nearly made her fall off the bench in surprise. Nearly because he had swiftly grabbed hold of her flailing arms and righted her. She looked up into his concerned forest eyes, one of his hands already lacing with hers. She squeezed it gently to let him know she was fine.

The doctor just shook his head as he shoved his head lamp back into his medical bag. "She'll live. Bleeding stopped, but it sounds like her tongue is numb. Keep a cup of ice beside you tonight and let it soothe and clean the area. Make sure she sees her regular doctor in the next few days, but other than that she should be fine. You should regain feeling and taste within the next twenty-four hours or so."

"Thunk gu. Gu shood wak on gore beside mayyor," she offered back before giving him a tight smile.

Thea handed her one of the cups of water in her and told her, "That was ice. But you can still rinse and spit. Which is in the correct order, right doc?"

Oliver shook his head as the doctor rolled his eyes and stood up from the old wooden bench. "Thank you, Doctor…"

"Renner," Dr. Renner shook Oliver's offered hand. "It's no problem. I got into medicine for this. Sort of. Have a good night."

As soon as the doctor had disappeared back into the crowd and Felicity had finished cleaning her mouth out with the water Thea had brought her, Ollie started giving their goodbyes. "I'm going to take Felicity home. We'll-"

"Wha'? Oo!" Felicity growled low in the back of her throat from frustration, pulling her hand from Ollie's and reaching back for her phone. I just need ice. Other than having to do this for the rest of the night, I'm fine to stay. Thea and I were going to the Swing Around.

The crossed her arms over her chest and nodded. "It's true. Then I was going to scare the shit out of your girlfriend on the monkey cages." Felicity glared at Thea at the mention of the Ferris Wheel-like ride with cars that swung back and forth and upside down depending on the speed and the riders. "Besides, she and I would hate to ruin all the fun you and Roy were having. You know, all your male bonding stupidity. In fact, Laurel, you up for a girl's night since it looks like all the guys want to prove their manliness at fixed carnie games?"

Laurel glanced back at Tommy who was cracking jokes with Roy behind her, not even paying the slightest attention to what was being said by the rest of the group. "Yeah, I'm in. Tommy, I'll see you back home."

"O-Whoa. What?" Tommy turned in the girl's direction only to see them already walking away. He glanced at his best friend. "What just happened?"

"They want to hang out tonight," Ollie answered simply. "Hungry?"

"Starving. Steak? Ramone's is still open and it's only a few blocks away."

Oliver nodded. "Sounds good."

"As long as you guys are buying, I'm in," Roy threw in coolly. "Otherwise I'd need a big raise to pay for my portion."

Tommy chuckled. "Nice try. Dinner's on Ollie, though, since he seemed to destroy every game you guys were playing."

Heaving a sigh, Oliver shoved his hands into his jeans pockets. "Alright, let's go." She would be okay, he assured himself as he led Tommy and Roy toward the exit, she was with Thea and Laurel if anything got worse and she deserved to have fun. Especially with how he had been acting all night.

An hour and a half later, the three young women were wheezing with laughter as they exited to monkey cages for the third time that night. "Alright, that time was a little better," Laurel told them as she shook her head.

Thea just doubled over with laughter as Felicity began typing onto her phone. We know. You nearly made both of us deaf last time.

"Oh, and you weren't freaking out a little this time since we were the only ones on the ride. "Okay, you can let us out now. Seriously. It's been five minutes. Six!" How did you even know how much time had passed while we were on that damn thing anyway? We were spinning so much and for so long I couldn't tell whether down was up or up was down."

"The point is, you're both babies," Thea declared as they walked toward the exit.

Riding that rickety thing three times hardly makes us babies.

"No, but Laurel screamed like a newborn almost every time we rotated back toward the ground."

"We looked like we were going to crash. The cage always tipped forward like it was going to drop us right out."

"And Felicity had her eyes closed most of the time."

If I didn't, I probably would have thrown up over everyone. Heights and I are not a good combination. Add spinning to that and everyone would need new clothes.

"Whatever. She probably knew how long we were up there because she was literally counting the seconds and doing the math to convert those seconds into minutes in her head. Every time."

Laurel let out a low whistle. "Are you sure you want to stick with computers? I know many people, including myself, who could use a better accountant."

"She's getting promoted soon. She's totally sure."

"Really? Congratulations!"

It's not official, Felicity typed and held out for them to read.

Thea scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Please. I've visited the IT Department at Queen Consolidated. You're a million miles ahead of everyone."

They're also looking outside of QC for the position.

Laurel shook her head. "No, I'm with Thea. Whatever it is, you can more than handle it. How was your interview?"

Good. I'm pretty sure. I haven't heard anything since the interview, really. In fact, I came out tonight to forget it. Subject change please?

"Okay, fine," Thea helped her out, smirking up at Laurel. "Felicity moved into the mansion."

Laurel grinned. "Really?"

"Well, she was sick what a month and a half ago? Still there as of tonight. And our work clothes are getting mixed because of it. I say it's time to find a place of their own. I've got us," the young Queen held up her car keys as she nodded in the direction she had parked. "I'm legal again. Don't worry. Anyway, Roy and I have already talked about it. We're both trying to save up more, and agreed we wanted to at least pay first and last month's rent on our own, without the aid of the Queen fortune, which is why I asked you for more time at CNRI. Any word on that yet?"

"Well, now that I know why you need the extra work, of course I'll slide some your way. Good for you and Roy," Laurel wrapped an arm around Thea's shoulders and gave her a light squeeze. "Felicity, good for you and Oliver too. It's obvious how much he cares about you. Sharing any space with him on a permanent basis is a big step. Trust me."

Thanks. Kind of busy for apartment hunting of our own though. With work and possible promotions it's not something we've even discussed.

"Yeah, but he's jumping head first with you. Especially since you guys have taken a step away from the spotlight. Plus, with your definite promotion, and Tommy and Ollie already discussing expanding Verdant, it makes sense that you don't have time to look for a new place. Just make sure you keep time for each other. There's nothing more important than that."

Felicity blushed. The moment they had stepped away from the spotlight was almost the same moment their romantic relationship became real. It wasn't part of the job or helping out a friend anymore. It was – is – real, and so great and so…natural. Yes, there was effort that both she and Ollie had to put into it as every couple did, but the truth was, they slipped into this phase as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Work was work, vigilante time was vigilante time, and the moments in between that they spent together were fairly common, boring by his pre-Island standards, but momentous all the same.

Watching TV and movies, reading sections of the paper in bed, talking about their day and their past, beating him at video games, calling up the other to ask about dinner…

It was so…normal.

The word felt odd, even in thought. Felicity had never had a normal moment in her life. Not really and especially not lately.

After they'd dropped Laurel off at her apartment and made it back to Queen Manor in one piece, Thea had immediately gone to bed while Felicity raided the kitchen for more ice to numb her mouth. Ollie had texted her when he'd left Tommy and Roy to let her know he was going on patrol and while she'd wanted to head to Verdant to link up and at least back him up wirelessly, Thea and Laurel weren't going to let her out of their sight. They probably would have taken her possible excuses as, "Uh-oh. She's in pain. Call an ambulance. That doc was a quack." And she was also having fun and controlled excitement of her own. An adrenaline rush that didn't come with worry or fear that people she cared about were about to get hurt.

After filling a bowl with ice and grabbing an Oreo Klondike bar, she went up the stairs and into Oliver's room and settled at the desk she had taken as her own. Flipping up her laptop with one hand and slipping on her wireless headset, she opened up the foil wrapper of her ice cream bar and settled in for a long night. "Hawing twubble?"

From his place on the rooftop across Elyse Hessington's offices, the Hood smirked. "In need of some proof to throw the police's way. She didn't seem to take me too seriously."

"I can tik car of tha."

"There's no one better."

A/N: I am very sorry for the long wait. Real life entered the picture early in this chapter and I totally lost my place early on. I'm sure it's probably obvious where, but I hope you enjoy this chapter all the same.

Still, I hate keeping all of you amazing readers waiting for so long, and I was trying to think of ways to keep you all up to date while I'm writing up chapters when my friend told me I should start a tumblr account. So this past weekend, that is exactly what I did (and my sister said "FINALLY!"). You can find my tumblr url on my profile. I plan on posting previews of upcoming chapters and stories over there to whet your appetites while you're waiting. Ask is also open for questions, comments, or suggestions about anything. Arrow, Olicity, comics, tv, movies, music, etc. So, I'm going to give that a shot and we'll see how it works out!

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! And for those in the States, I hope this helps cap off your possibly long weekend. Thanks for reading. Please review.