A/N: Thank you one and all for your feedback about the FPR for this story. You've given me a lot to ponder and I shall do just that. I think the main thing is that I always want to keep my smut, whatever level, tasteful and in character. I don't see Felicity breaking out the whips and chains in the bedroom so I'd never have her doing that. I also don't see her as one to talk dirty, funnily flirty, maybe, but not dirty. ;) So yeah, I'll see how it pans out as I go along but it was uber helpful to hear everyone's thoughts on the subject, so thank you again for that. :D I'm here to please and entertain, so all input is welcome.

Just on a side note from my last A/N's, I just want to make it very clear that I do NOT have gonorrhea! lol Syphilis, sure, but not gono. (Okay, I don't have syphilis either, promise – Hank on the other hand, man, he's his very own Center for Disease Control… or maybe that should be Out-Of-Control). I isolate bacteria for a living and so far have managed not to infect myself with anything. Yay me! So yeah, just wanted to clear that up… which is ironic because that is pretty much what people with gono want too. Lol Ah well, don't do the crime if you can't do the time… and the itching ooze.

I fear you will find this chapter quite the come down after the last one. It's inevitable. So, sorry in advance about that. And the next one won't be much better, it'll be heavy on setting up the next part of this story but exposition is a necessary evil in a story, so I'll try and make it as quick as possible.

I think I had something else to tell you but Hank is out taking a quick cigarette break and let's pray that it's just tobacco in that cigarette this time. I know, you're all thinking the alternative is wacky tabacky… aka weed. Man, I wish. Last time I did a routine cell inspection, I found he was making cigarettes out of pubic hairs. I was going to ask him where he got the pubes from because monkeys don't have any, unless you count their whole bodies but then decided I didn't really want to know. I think when you've got a sociopathic, alcoholic, sexually transmitted disease-ridden monkey running around in your head, you should probably try and maintain a thin veil of mystery between the two of you. I don't ask about his pubic hair-based cigarettes and he doesn't ask me about the life-size cutout of the Pillsbury Doughboy mascot smeared in honey in my bedroom. It's a mutually agreeable arrangement.

And on that note (I think it was a C sharp), I'll leave you with some alone time with the chapter. Now then, make good choices, you two… just leave the door open so I can check up on your periodically... our family doesn't need another pregnancy scare… particularly as I'm still trying to work out how Hank could get that Elmo doll in the family way in the first place… I always thought Elmo was a dude… possibly a castrated one with that high pitched voice of his but still a guy… but as always with Hank, he found a way…

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

"So, how are you really doing?"

Felicity didn't look up from the computer screen as she continued to make her way through the reams of information and files pertaining to Project Sirène. "Fine." They'd all bunked down for the rest of the night, Oliver saying he only needed a little shut eye but they'd ignored his request to wake him after fifteen minutes. They'd all needed sleep but in the end Felicity had woken very early and started work on the XR-320 files. She needed to know as much as she could about what might be in store for Oliver.

"Felicity?"

Felicity sighed heavily as she heard the tone in Diggle's voice, knowing he wasn't going to let it go. She sat back in her chair and looked up at the other man. "I'm a horrible person, Digg." It was the other reason she couldn't sleep – a guilty conscience.

Diggle half-smiled. "As someone who has met his fair share of horrible people, I can unequivocally say that is not true." He sat on the edge of her desk and looked down at her. "What happened last night? Did something happen at the party?"

"No." Felicity wrinkled her nose. She glanced over her shoulder to where Oliver was still sleeping behind a partition. "Yes, a bit. Oliver got a little overprotective of me with one of the guys at the party and Thea saw it. Heaven only knows what she is thinking now."

"I don't think Thea is someone we need to be worrying about."

"And then Oliver did it again with Detective Lance, outside the party," said Felicity unhappily. "He almost decked the guy, or worse."

Diggle frowned. "Why?"

Felicity shook her head. "I don't know. I think he thought Detective Lance was trying to turn me against him. It didn't really make sense but Oliver almost had a gun pulled on him."

"Lucky for Lance that didn't happen," said Diggle dryly.

"Yeah, we dodged a bullet there, literally and figuratively," grimaced Felicity. "Didn't really need Oliver going all 'eye of the tiger' on the one guy who is looking to make a link between the Hood and Oliver Queen."

"But you kept the situation in control," noted Diggle. "That's the important thing."

"Yeah," said Felicity flatly, "but then I really dropped the ball."

Diggle tilted his head. "How so?"

Felicity bit her bottom lip and blushed. "I-I sexually harassed Oliver, when we got back here to the lair." The ride back in the car had already completely discombobulated Felicity but when Oliver had started kissing her, she was pretty certain she'd lost her mind for a good few minutes.

Diggle's eyebrows shot up. "You what?"

Felicity made an unhappy groan. "I don't know what happened. We were back here, waiting for you and just talking. Then Oliver tells me he can smell me." She wrinkled her nose. "Can you smell me? Do I have a funk to me?"

Diggle shook his head. "You definitely don't have a funk, Felicity."

"Well, Oliver says he can smell me, that I've got some kind of scent he can pick up anywhere and the next thing I know he's kissing my neck and then we're suddenly kissing and instead of me pulling away right then, I just let it happened." Felicity squeezed her eyes close and groaned in embarrassment. "I totally took advantage of the fact Oliver is out of his mind." She looked up at Diggle wide eyed. "How does that not make me a bad person?"

"Felicity," said Diggle kindly, "none of this is your fault. You didn't start any of this."

"Either did Oliver," said Felicity in agitation. "But that doesn't give me the right to take advantage of him."

Diggle shook his head. "I find it really hard to believe that is how it went down somehow. And besides, you stopped it, didn't you?"

"Yes," said Felicity in a small voice, "but it took way longer than it should have and when this is all over all Oliver is going to remember is that I let him do something he didn't really want to do because-because—" She trailed off, not really wanting to complete that sentence but it seemed she didn't need to for Diggle.

"Felicity," he said softly, "I know how hard this must be for you. I know how you feel about Oliver."

She squirmed a little in her seat and resolutely refused to meet Diggle's gaze. "Is it really that obvious?" Felicity made a face. "Don't answer that. I don't want to know." It was mortifying to think that she was so obvious about her feelings for Oliver. Not for the first time, Felicity wished she had just a little bit more guile to her nature.

"I know you care for him a lot," said Diggle quietly. "This can't be an easy position you've been put in to."

"What, having Oliver look at me like I'm the only girl in the world for him, have him need me more than anyone else, want me the most and know that it's all chemically induced and none of its real?" she asked bitterly. "No, that isn't hard at all, why would you say that?"

"Would you like my opinion on all of this?"

"Only if it'll make me feel better," said Felicity morosely. She still couldn't believe how far she'd let things get between her and Oliver last night. It was just when he was touching her and saying those things to her, Felicity had found herself just freefalling, caught up in the moment just as much as Oliver had been only she didn't have the excuse of being drugged… just lovesick. And Felicity already knew there wasn't an antidote for that particular malaise. "Talk about folie à deux."

"Excuse me?" asked Diggle quizzically.

Felicity sighed. "A few years back there was this case of these Swedish twin sisters who were found throwing themselves in front of oncoming traffic on an English freeway. They resisted all attempts to save them, one of them actually throwing themselves under a truck and the other one attempting to do the same. They both survived but when there was more investigation, they found out one of the sisters had killed a man who had only tried to help her and neither sister would ever give a reason for their behaviour - folie à deux, a madness shared by two." She swallowed hard. "That's Oliver and me. He's drugged and disoriented, throwing himself under trucks with gay abandon and instead of helping him, I'm joining in." Felicity buried her head in her hands. "I'm a horrible, horrible human being, Digg, and when Oliver comes out of all of this, he's going to hate me." She hadn't lied when she'd told Oliver that she'd scared herself with what had happened between them. For a few crazy seconds Felicity had entertained the idea of letting things go further between the two of them. Hearing him groan his need for her had been almost her undoing but then Felicity had forced herself to remember that this wasn't the real Oliver talking. She felt Diggle put a comforting hand on her back.

"This I know for sure," said Diggle firmly, "Oliver is incapable of hating you, Felicity, so you should stop worrying about that right now."

Felicity dropped her hand away from her face. "Well, he should," she said emphatically, "because apparently I'm some kind of sexual predator." Diggle gave a short bark of laughter and Felicity glared up at him. "How is that funny?"

Still smiling, Diggle shook his head at her. "Honey, of all the things you are, I don't think you can claim sexual predator as one of them. You were in a difficult situation and you did the right thing and Oliver is going to remember that. Which brings me back to my original opinion about all of this. Still want to hear it?"

"I'll tell you after I hear what it is," said Felicity unevenly.

Diggle crouched down in front of Felicity, so they were at eye level. "I think that part of the reason Oliver is having such a hard time with you being the one the gas has made him fixate on is because, well, he already had pretty intense feelings about you going into all of this."

"That isn't true, Digg," sighed Felicity, wishing that it was. "That's how he feels about Laurel or even Sarah but not me. Oliver just sees me as a friend and partner. He's never thought of me romantically and the only reason he is now is because of the XR-320. It's not real. Whatever he thinks he feels about me, it's just not real and I have to remember that and not get sucked into his whirlpool of crazy and start believing anything else." Felicity grimaced. "Otherwise we're both going to drown."

"Are you telling me that you and Oliver never had any little moments between the two of you before all of this started?" countered Diggle.

Felicity rolled her eyes. "The guy is sex on stick, Diggle. He's going to have a sexual spark with just about anyone or anything. Heck, he and the salmon ladder are practically engaged. It doesn't mean anything other than Oliver is a really gorgeous guy who puts out a lot of sexual energy."

Diggle pulled a face. "I'm pretty confident in saying that Oliver sees you in a whole different light to his salmon ladder, Felicity."

Felicity moved her shoulders restlessly. "Yeah, well, whatever that light is, I know it's not me being his dream girl. So, I just have to remind myself of that every time he makes me feel like I'm more than just a friend to him." She bit her bottom lip. "No matter how convincing he is at the time."

"Felicity, you're incredibly important to Oliver, you have to know that."

"I know, he couldn't keep this show on the road without me," said Felicity. "Team Arrow needs its computer geek."

Diggle gave her an intent look. "You know that isn't what I meant."

"What I know is that Oliver isn't in his right mind at the moment and that he needs me to look out for his best interests and not indulge myself with some stupid fantasy that he could ever—" Felicity took a deep breath. "I just don't want Oliver to hate me at the end of all of this."

"Not going to happen," said Diggle confidently.

Felicity gave him a worried look. "There is going to be an end to all this though, right? Oliver is going to get through this."

"Of course he will," said Diggle without hesitation.

She gave a wobbly smile. "You always tell the best lies."

Diggle half-smiled. "I'm pretty good with the truth as well."

Felicity moved forward and wrapped her arms around Diggle's neck where he was still crouched in front of her. She hugged his broad frame, finding it incredibly comforting. "I'm so lucky to have you in my life, Digg," she said sincerely. "I don't know if I ever told you that before but I am."

Diggle returned her hug. "That happens to work both ways. Oliver and I are both lucky to have you in our lives."

Felicity pulled back and tried to blink away the tears she'd been attempting to hold back. She needed to change the subject. "How much longer do you think we should let Oliver sleep for?"

Diggle glanced at his watch. "Maybe another hour or so? I've got to call in a couple of favours so I can get to this Lyla woman without setting off any of her alarm bells. She's obviously very use to flying under the radar and this building she's holed up in has a lot of security."

"Those reactions Oliver is having are taking a huge physical toll on his body," fretted Felicity. "If it was anyone else they'd probably already need to be hospitalized." She glanced back over her shoulder. "I'm not sure how much more his body can take if we don't keep him calm."

"Well, that's our game plan for now," said Diggle. "Keep Oliver calm while I work out a way into Professor Coates' latest fortress of human rights violations."

"You really need my help with that. If you tell me where she's at I can screen the building for access points."

"Right now I'd rather you concentrate on Oliver," said Diggle calmly. "I can handle everything else."

Felicity pulled a face, wanting to argue but decided on a sideways approach. "Let me just get these last couple of files open and see what's inside of them," said Felicity, turning back around to her computer console. "Who knows, they might even have an anti-toxin formula in one of them and you don't have to go anywhere."

"I always did love your optimism," said Diggle wryly.

"Yeah, well, a girl can dream, right?" she muttered, turning her attention back to the files on her computer screen and attempting to access them. Whatever was hidden away in them must be important because they were the most heavily protected files she'd come across since breaching the initial firewall. Hopefully there really was an antidote tucked away in there after all.

#

Oliver jerked awake as he felt a hand touch his arm. He was instantly on the defensive, smacking it away.

Diggle held up a conciliatory hand. "Whoa, man, it's just me, relax."

Oliver sat up on the rudimentary bed and shook his head to clear it. He ran an unsteady hand through his hair. "How long have I been asleep for?" he asked unevenly.

"Awhile. It's morning."

Oliver scowled at him. "I said give me fifteen minutes."

"You needed longer," said Diggle unapologetically as he took a seat on the edge of the bed. "And besides, we all needed to get some sleep and Felicity wanted to look through all the files she found on Project Sirène before we make our next move."

Felicity's name on the other man's lips had Oliver tensing and then he realized something. "You're covered in her," he bit out, eyes darkening.

Diggle looked at him blankly. "What?"

"Felicity," he growled, "I can smell her all over you." Oliver felt his whole body begin to shake, his hands curl into fists. "What the hell have you been doing to her?"

"I-ah, nothing," said Diggle, clearly taken aback. "Damn, so you really can smell her anywhere?"

Diggle wasn't answering his questions and that was making Oliver more certain something was wrong. "Did you hurt her?" He grabbed the front of Diggle's shirt and shoved the man backwards. An unprepared Diggle slid off the bed and fell onto the ground. "What did you do?" Oliver yelled. "What did you do?" Oliver jumped up from the bed, the blood roaring in his ears. "Felicity!" He went to race back to the main computer area but Felicity suddenly popped up in front of him.

"What's wrong?" she asked a little breathlessly. Felicity looked past Oliver to see Diggle on the ground. "Digg, are you alright?" She moved towards him but Diggle quickly put up a hand.

"Don't come any closer," said Diggle hastily. "Don't move!"

Felicity froze, her eyes going wide. "Please tell me there isn't a bomb in this room," she said, looking stricken.

Diggle gave a concerned look at Oliver. "Potentially."

Oliver put his arm around Felicity's waist and drew her further away from Diggle, his gaze raking over every inch of her. "Did he hurt you?"

Felicity looked at him blankly. "Did who hurt me?"

Oliver threw a dark look over his shoulder at Diggle, keeping himself protectively between the other man and Felicity. "Diggle."

Felicity blinked. "What, that Diggle?" she pointed to where Diggle was now sitting on the edge of the bed, watching Oliver warily. "John Diggle, our John Diggle? Why on earth would Digg hurt me?"

The confusion in Felicity's voice was throwing Oliver off. When he'd smelt her scent all over Diggle he'd been so sure that the other man had done something to her, tried to hurt her. It was Oliver's first instinct and his instincts were never wrong… but now he wasn't so sure.

Felicity put her hand on his arm. "Oliver, you know Diggle wouldn't ever hurt me. He's our friend and he's always looking out for the both of us. You know that."

Oliver blinked a couple of times, trying to clear the fog in his brain. Felicity's calming touch helped. The red mist started to clear and Oliver grimaced. "I-I thought Diggle had hurt you," he said unevenly. "I could smell you all over him."

Felicity made a face. "You can smell me on people now?" she asked in distress. "Just how bad is this smell of mine?"

"It's not bad," said Oliver fiercely, not sure why Felicity was so determined to believe otherwise. "I just know your scent and Diggle is covered in it."

"Probably because we hugged earlier."

"Felicity," said Diggle in a cautionary tone, "maybe Oliver doesn't want to hear that."

Oliver scowled as Diggle stood up, his face flushing in anger. "What are you trying to keep from me?" His glare deepened. "Is that why you let me sleep so long? So you could be alone with Felicity and try and take her away from me?" Oliver could just picture Diggle whispering in Felicity's ear, trying to turn her against him. It was so clear in his mind's eye, it was like he'd actually seen it happen. A hot rage surged through Oliver's body.

"Oliver," said Diggle calmly, "you need to take a moment and think this through. You know I'm not trying to do anything with Felicity other than help you. Like Felicity said, we're all on the same side… your side. You're just losing a little perspective here."

"You'd like Felicity to think that, wouldn't you?" Oliver growled. "You want her to think I'm crazy so you can have her all to yourself." He bristled at even the thought of it.

"Nobody is calling anybody else crazy," said Felicity hastily. "But Diggle is right, perhaps we should all just take a moment and stay calm." She gave him an earnest look. "Aardvark, Oliver, aardvark."

"Aardvark?" asked Diggle in confusion.

"It's our safe word," explained Felicity quickly, not breaking eye contact with Oliver. "It's our code to let the other one know that things might be getting a little, you know, hinky."

Oliver swallowed hard, staring back down into Felicity's concerned gaze. With all of her attention on him, Oliver felt himself being able to think clearly again. He looked back at Diggle and made a contrite face, the anger seeping from his body as quickly as it had arrived. "John, I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking." Oliver rubbed the back of his neck. "It's just that you suddenly felt like the enemy." He was having a lot of trouble controlling his emotions, they just overtook him without warning. Oliver felt helpless against them.

"Which we're all going to agree I'm not," said Diggle evenly.

"No, of course not," said Oliver hoarsely. He shook his head. "I just can't get these thoughts out of my head sometimes."

"It's the XR-320," said Felicity sympathetically. "Digg and I understand, you don't have to explain. You've got a lot of hormones running through your body right now and that isn't always great for a clear thought process."

"But I need to be able to think clearly," bit out Oliver in frustration.

"How about you let us pick up the slack on this one," said Diggle easily as he went to walk by the two of them. "Felicity has opened the last files—"

Diggle was suddenly too close to Felicity for Oliver to handle. The threat to Felicity was too real, she was actual and imminent danger from the other man, Oliver could just feel it. He had to protect her, it was the only thing which mattered. Before Oliver knew what he was doing, he had a nearby knife in his hand and pressing it up against Diggle's neck. "What are you doing? Stay away from Felicity!" he spat out, shoving his face aggressively into Diggle's. "Move and I'll kill you!" Oliver's hand tightened on the knife as he pressed the blade harder against Diggle's throat…

A/N: R'oh, R'ho… trouble at Team Arrow's love nest. I know what you're thinking, I wouldn't really let Oliver cut Diggle's throat but then again, I did talk about pubic hair cigarettes in the intro… do you really see me as someone with limits? I will say this and it is absolutely true… the next chapter contains a blood-letting of some pretty serious proportions. It ain't gonna be pretty… you have been warned… *insert dramatic music here*