A/N: So this is the penultimate chapter guys. There is only one more after this and I am excited to finally get this story behind me. I have struggled with it, not gonna lie. But I want to thank you all for sticking with me and coming back each time. You all are wonderful. I hope you enjoy this chapter, let me know what you think :D

Chapter Twenty-One

"No," Oliver whispered.

"I'm sure it was quick," Slade yelled. He was sitting down right where Oliver had left him with a huge grin, content to watch as Oliver's world fell apart.

Something in Slade's words snapped him out of his daze and before he was even aware that his feet were moving, he was running towards what was left of the plane. He knew. Deep down he knew that she was gone, no one could survive being in the middle of a blast that big, but he had to see for himself. He needed to be sure. Only then would he allow himself to fall apart.

"Felicity!" he yelled, raising his hands to shield his face from the red-hot flames as he tried to get around them. Burning, twisted metal littered the ground around him, leaving nothing but a shell. What he could see of the inside left him with no doubt.

"Felicity." His voice broke on a sob as he finally let himself realise the truth.

He dropped to his knees, placed his hands on the ground, and lowered his head. He'd stared at the flames for too long and now they were all he could see. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore. He was supposed to protect her. He was supposed to keep her safe at all costs. That was his job and he'd failed her.

He'd only just gotten her back and now… he'd lost her forever.

Some part of him registered that Slade was now standing behind him, but he couldn't bring himself to move or even care.

"How does it feel, kid?"

Oliver couldn't answer him. He couldn't even open his mouth to form any words.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" Slade asked, walking around him in a slow circle. "Knowing that the one you love more than anything on this earth has been taken from you. Like my Shado was taken from me. It feels like you can't breathe. Like a piece of you is slowly withering and dying inside. Like you're suffocating!"

Slade kneeled down in front of him and grabbed his chin, forcing him to look up. "She was strong, your Felicity. She never begged for her life. She was so sure that you would save her."

Whatever was left of Oliver's heart shattered more at hearing that. She'd spent her last moments on this earth terrified and trying to hide it, waiting for him to come and get her.

"Even after everything she'd been through she still wouldn't give up on you. She still believed that you were a good man. That kind of love is rare, kid."

When he didn't respond, Slade frowned. Oliver watched him draw his sword, he knew what was coming, and he knew that he should fight. Felicity would want him to fight. But he couldn't. He stayed where he was, frozen, waiting for the final blow to come.

Slade raised his sword above his head, but instead of trying to kill him, he brought it down handle first, connecting sharply with Oliver's skull. An image of Felicity, lying naked in bed next to him with that beautiful smile flashed through his mind. She'd looked so happy there, so at peace for the first time in a long time.

As the darkness swept in and surrounded him, Oliver could only think one thing. I'm so sorry, baby.

Slade grimaced at the sight of the man he'd once called 'brother' lying unconscious at his feet. It had been too easy. Killing Felicity had not left him with the satisfaction he'd been expecting. He didn't enjoy taking a young woman's life, especially in the way that he had.

But, even though he knew that his visions of Shado had been Mirakuru induced, he hated Felicity for taking them from him with that cure. He felt as if he'd lost her all over again and the pain had been just as sharp as it had the first time.

He was, however, surprised at how hard it was to see the pain in Oliver's eyes because it mirrored his own. His entire world had just gone up in flames right before him and he'd been powerless to do anything about it. Slade knew that pain well. It still gnawed at him, tearing his soul away a piece at a time. If he even had a soul left, of course. At this point, he could no longer tell.

His original plan had been to kill Oliver in the place where they'd stayed during their time here together. But he now found himself wanting to change that plan. He reached down to grab Oliver and hoisted him over one shoulder.

He needed to visit one last place and then this would finally be over. He could finally rest and be with Shado.

Pain flashed through Oliver's head as he slowly regained consciousness. The sun burned his sore eyes, so he kept them closed for a few minutes while he tried to remember where he was. And then it hit him all over again. Felicity.

A different kind of pain filled his chest, making him long for the numbness he'd felt before Slade had hit him. He couldn't handle this; it hurt too much. It hurt! Worse than any injury or torture that he'd ever endured in his past. He knew that it would get worse and it was hard to even think of anything else right now, but he had to. Sara was injured and waiting for him. He needed to get back to her. He wasn't going to let Slade take anyone else away from him.

Fire burned along his shoulders as he tested his restraints. Slade had tied him to two nearby trees, on his knees with his arms extended painfully with lashings of rope around each wrist. His legs were free but it did him no good, he had no advantage to try to free his wrists.

He breathed in and out slowly a few times and then he opened his eyes. Slade was sitting on a rock a few feet away, staring at him with a blank expression. His sword lay by his feet as he rested his elbows on his knees.

"Recognise this place?" he asked.

Oliver looked around, seeing nothing but trees for miles. They could be anywhere on the island. His gaze fell on a large hole in a wall behind Slade. It was a cave. He let out a tired sigh, knowing exactly where they were and that this was the last stop on Slade's revenge train.

"You should," Slade said. "My Shado died here. Right where you're sitting."

"I remember, Slade," Oliver growled as he tried to fight against his bonds. They didn't loosen even an inch. "I was there. You weren't."

"Yes, you were. You made a very poor choice that night."

"I didn't make any choice! I didn't want either of them to die. I couldn't make that decision, no one could."

Slade nodded, surprising him. "Felicity said the same thing."

Oliver surged to his feet with anger and pain coursing through his entire body. "You don't get to say her name! You killed her. She's dead because of you so-"

"No! She's dead because of you," Slade countered. "She's dead because of the choices you made, the decisions that led you here! She's dead because you failed to keep her safe from the darkness in your life."

Oliver dropped his head, gazing at the ground but seeing nothing. He only saw her face. He knew that Felicity would tell him that Slade was wrong; he could practically hear her saying it. But he wasn't wrong, was he? Felicity was… she was gone because of his actions. Because of a man from his past.

"You're right," Oliver said, losing the will to keep fighting. All he wanted to do was lie down, close his eyes, and pretend that this was all just a bad dream. And when he opened them, he'd see her standing there, smiling, and shaking her head at something he'd said. "But there's something you're not considering."

Slade's eye narrowed. "What?"

"You failed Shado, too."

He watched as his words slowly sunk in, and then Slade's face contorted in rage. He backhanded Oliver so hard that his nose began bleeding again.

Slade grabbed his hair and yanked painfully. "I am not the one who failed her. She loved you, she trusted you!"

"You failed her by not honouring her memory!" Oliver yelled, receiving another punch. "You did unspeakable things in her name."

Another punch and this time Oliver was starting to get a little dizzy. "Do you really think Shado would approve of you killing an innocent woman for revenge?"

Oliver knew he was pushing Slade to his limit but he didn't care. He just wanted this to be finished, for the last time.

As Slade raised his fist again, his eye blazing pure fire, Oliver stared directly at him. "I told you before that she would be ashamed of what you've done. I'm telling you now that she would hate you for it."

His head swayed as the dizziness set in, but instead of receiving another blow, he saw Slade take a step back, looking as if Oliver had just punched him back.

"You know I'm right."

Slade breathed in deeply as he stared down at his fist. Slowly and unexpectedly, he opened his hand and then walked away. Oliver waited, holding his breath as he expected an attack from behind, but nothing came. Slade disappeared into the trees and kept on going.

As soon as he was out of sight, Oliver yanked hard on the ropes around his wrists. They dug into his skin, burning and cutting off his circulation the harder he pulled. Drums pounded a steady rhythm throughout his brain, making it hard to concentrate on anything. But he forced himself to ignore it and focus on getting out of his bonds. If he stopped, even for a moment, the pain of losing Felicity would hit again and it would cripple him.

He heard a rustling coming from the trees and frowned. Slade had gone in the opposite direction, so who else was here, and why were they hiding? He held his breath and waited as a figure emerged from behind the bushes. When he saw her standing there looking at him, his breath whooshed out of him as if someone had punched him in the chest.

"Fe… Felicity?"

She just stood there staring at him with such a pained expression. I'm hallucinating, he thought, his heart sinking. Slade had hit him too hard and now he was seeing things. She wasn't there. She couldn't be. He'd seen her in that plane with an arrow piercing her shoulder. There was no way she would have survived that explosion. No, he was hallucinating.

But then she moved.

Oliver's wide eyes tracked her as she walked towards him and with each step she took, his heartbeat sped up. Soon enough, she was standing before him, reaching out to cradle his face. He leaned into her touch, closing his eyes to savour the feeling. "Oh, Felicity."

"Oliver!" she yelled, forcing him to open his eyes. "Can you hear me?"

He nodded but kept his eyes shut, letting the tears fall unashamedly. "I'm so sorry, baby. I couldn't save you and I will never forgive myself. But I don't know how I'm going to live without you. I don't know if I can."

"Oliver, I really need you to look at me. I'm here, okay? I'm right here."

Something in her tone made him frown. She was in pain; he could hear it in her voice, but there was also a sense of urgency. He opened his eyes to see her staring down at him with a pleading expression.

"I have to untie you before he comes back. Are you with me?"

He couldn't stop staring at her, afraid to look away in case she disappeared.

"Oliver, please!"

Slowly, he nodded, still unable to believe what his eyes were seeing. This had to be a hallucination. It had to be. He watched as she untied his wrists. It took her a few minutes because she couldn't raise her left arm. And then he saw the blood soaking through her shirt and something in his head clicked.

Once he was free, he stood up and reached out to touch her face, trying hard to control his trembling hand. She pressed her own against his as if to reassure him that she was there.

"You're okay?" he whispered.

"I'm alive," she replied fiercely. "I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."

"How?" He cleared his throat. "How did you get out in time?"

She grimaced. "Painfully."

"Oh God," he sighed before pulling her into his embrace. He held her tightly against him, breathing in the very essence of her until she whimpered in pain and he had to loosen his hold.

"Hey," she said, drawing back to look into his eyes. "I'm okay."

Resting his forehead against hers, he took a deep breath. "I thought I'd lost you. I saw you in there and I couldn't get to you, I couldn't get there in time."

She shook her head. "You're not gonna lose me, Oliver, I promise. But right now, I need you to focus. Slade will be back any minute and we need a plan."

She was right, of course, they did need a plan. But he didn't want her anywhere near when Slade came back. She had suffered enough. "Okay, I need you to get out of here."

"What? No! I'm not leaving you, Oliver."

He cupped her uninjured arm, slid his hand down to grasp hers, and pressed it against his chest. "You're not leaving me, I'm asking you to go. There's a plane on the beach where we landed before. Do you remember that beach? Diggle and Sara are already there, I need you to go to them."

Tears welled up in her eyes. "I can't. I can't let you fight him alone. What if you…?"

She didn't need to finish the rest of that question for him to understand what she was trying to say. "Hey, I just got you back and there is no way I will ever let Slade take you away from me again. But I can't fight him and worry about you being here at the same time. Please understand that."

She gave him a reluctant nod but instead of replying, her eyes zeroed in on something behind him. "Too late," she whispered.

Oliver turned to see Slade standing at the edge of the trees with his arms folded, watching them closely. Pushing Felicity behind him, he tilted his head towards her. "Felicity, go now."

Slade began making his way towards them, one slow step after another as if he had all the time in the world. "I'm impressed, Felicity."

"Don't you talk to her," Oliver spat, pushing her further behind him so she was out of Slade's view.

"I honestly didn't think you had it in you. Pulling that arrow out must've hurt. How did you manage that?"

Oliver felt Felicity tense up behind him as if she was gearing up for a fight. No, he refused to let Slade anywhere near her. He didn't care what kind of training she'd had from Sara. Even without her injury, she was no match for him. He turned his head and spoke in a low voice so that Slade couldn't hear him. "When I tell you to run, you run. Got it?"

Something in his tone must've convinced her because the next thing he felt was her squeezing his hand in agreement.

He smoothed his thumb over her hand one last time and then launched himself towards Slade. "Go, now!"

He heard her footsteps receding as he launched his attack, but Slade was ready for him. He sidestepped him easily and delivered several blows to his already sore ribs and Oliver was sure he felt a few of them crack.

Drawing in breath felt like a thousand tiny knives stabbing him all at once, making it difficult to anticipate or counter Slade's next move. But it didn't matter. His only focus was to keep him away from Felicity for as long as possible.

Slade pointed in the direction Felicity had gone. "She should've stayed in that plane. At least it would've been quick. Now, I'll enjoy taking my time with her."

Oliver felt the anger return, coursing through his veins. A low growl erupted from deep within as he flew at Slade, punching and kicking as fast and hard as he could, trying to disorientate him as much as possible. Slade may have trained him once, but Oliver used every move he'd learned since then to keep him off balance, his time in Hong Kong, the Bratva, with Talia Al Ghul, all of it.

He let every emotion he'd felt for so long finally find a release. The pain of knowing Felicity had been tortured on an island for four months, the agony of knowing she bore the same scars that he did, and the total devastation when he'd believed she was dead. He let it all flow through him, unable to see beyond the red mist that had descended, unable to stop until he had Slade kneeling on the floor at his feet.

His face was a bloody mess, his one remaining eye already swelling shut and as Oliver towered over him, he knew what he had to do. This man would never stop hunting him and those he loved. The arrows in his quiver were gone, they'd fallen out somewhere during their fight, but Oliver still had a few small ones in his sleeve. He withdrew one and held it at Slade's throat, the tip pressing into his skin enough to draw blood.

Breathless and weak, Slade tried to smile. "Go on, kid. Do it. Show her the man you really are."

Oliver's grip on Slade's hair tightened, forcing his head back to further expose his neck. "I have nothing to prove to her. She knows who I am."

"Then what are you waiting for?"

What was he waiting for? This man had caused him so much pain. He'd killed his mother, kidnapped his baby sister, and he'd tortured the woman he loved. So why couldn't he push the arrow in and finally end him?

Slade's rumbling laughter grated on him. "You still don't have it in you, do you? After everything I've done, and everything that I promise I will do, you still can't kill me."

He wanted to, oh yes, he wanted to so badly. But he couldn't. Not because he didn't think he had it in him, he knew all too well that he did. He had done far worse to far better people than Slade Wilson. But it wasn't without its consequences. The toll it had taken on him, even though the people he'd killed were not good people, it had left a stain on his soul. A stain that kept growing.

And suddenly he heard Felicity's voice in his mind, clear as a bell. "Don't do this for me, Oliver. Put him back in prison."

But Oliver would never know if he followed her advice because in his hesitation to kill him, he'd allowed Slade to gain an advantage. He grabbed the hand that was holding the arrow to his throat, planted his feet into his stomach and flipped him over his head. Before Oliver could even get to his knees, Slade had him in a death grip with one arm around his throat, choking off his air supply. In his other hand, he held the arrow.

"You should've taken your shot, kid," Slade whispered into his ear.

Oliver stayed still, knowing from experience that struggling would use up the limited oxygen he was able to get. Then his eyes landed on something glinting in the sunlight about three feet away from his foot. Slade's sword. He needed to get to it but Slade's grip was too tight. Even without the Mirakuru in his system, he was still stronger than Oliver was.

He winced as Slade drew the arrow down the side of his face, cutting into his skin slightly. But he stopped when he saw Oliver's foot inching closer to his sword. Suddenly Oliver was cast aside, thrown face down into the dirt and he only just managed to get to his knees before Slade pointed his sword directly against his throat. One swift movement and it would all be over for Oliver.

"Goodbye, brother," Slade said in a strangely soft tone, as he placed his other hand on the sword.

But nothing came. Oliver saw Slade jerk as his eyes grew wide and then he was reaching over his shoulder to claw at his back.

As he whirled around, Oliver saw what had happened. Felicity stood behind him, her eyes wild and focused solely on Slade. She'd stabbed him in the back with one of Oliver's arrows that had been lying on the ground. What the hell was she thinking? He'd told her to run, to get to safety, and instead she'd put herself right in the middle of the danger yet again. For him.

Pride warred with anger and fear as he yelled, "Felicity, get out of here, now!"

"Oh, you're going to wish I'd killed you on that plane. Now you're going to suffer!" Slade spat, abandoning the arrow between his shoulder blades that he couldn't reach to pull out. She took a few hurried steps back as he lunged at her and Oliver's instincts kicked into action. Without thinking, Oliver dove for Slade's sword and then, just as Slade grabbed a handful of Felicity's hair, Oliver thrust the sword forward, straight into the centre of his back, right through his heart.

Slade's grip released immediately as Oliver placed himself between them and watched as the shock in his former friend's eye dwindled to realisation. He fell forward, grasping at Oliver's jacket, leaning against him as he took his final breath.

"I'm sorry, Slade," Oliver whispered. "You left me no choice."

Slade slumped to the ground, his eye open but unseeing. He was dead. Finally, the threat he posed was over and Oliver felt a strange mix of relief and overwhelming sadness. He was happy that his family would never have to live in fear of this man again, but his heart ached fiercely for the brother he'd once been. That man deserved better. The one lying at his feet, he no longer recognised him. But the one thing Oliver knew was that he would always hate the fact that he'd had to kill him.

"Oliver," Felicity whispered behind him, drawing his attention. He whirled around and dragged her into his arms, his eyes raking over every inch of her face for any sign that she was hurt.

When he was satisfied that she was okay, well, as okay as she could be with a bleeding shoulder wound, he cupped her face in his hands and gently pressed his lips to hers.

"I really thought I'd lost you back there," he murmured against her mouth, their breaths mingling as he let it wash over him that she was alive and in his arms. "I don't want to feel that much pain again. Ever."

Tears spilled down her cheeks and her lips curved up into a sad smile as she looked at his face. "Are you okay?"

"I'm not going to lie, I've had better days. But none of that matters because I have you and you're here and you're safe."

Her soft fingertips fluttered over his sore cheek. "You're bleeding."

"So are you. We need to get you to a hospital," he replied, common sense kicking in and pushing his relief to the side. "Oh God, Sara! Come on, we've gotta go."

With her hand firmly tucked into his, Oliver started marching towards the beach where the plane was.

"Is she okay?" Felicity asked, breathlessly trying to keep up with his pace.

He really hoped they weren't too late. "I don't know. Slade shot her. She was in pretty bad shape so I told Diggle to get her back to the plane."

"Oh." Her voice was so quiet and when he looked back, he saw just how pale she'd gotten. He slowed his pace a little and looped his arm around her waist to help her along. The blood loss, as well as the adrenalin wearing off, was starting to hit her and she was flagging.

"Stay with me, honey. We're almost there."

"My legs hurt," she whimpered and it cut through him like a knife. He'd never heard that tone before. Felicity usually just soldiered on so to hear that was a little alarming.

"I'm so tired, Oliver."

Her eyes were beginning to droop too, so Oliver crouched down and lifted her into his arms. His ribs protested loudly, but he ignored it. It felt good to hold her close to him. When he was sure that he wasn't going to drop her, Oliver took off at a run, praying that he would make it back to the plane in time.

By the time he'd flown them all to the nearest hospital in Hong Kong, Sara was critical, Felicity was unconscious, and Oliver's heart was in his throat. Diggle didn't seem to be doing any better as he and Oliver both paced the waiting room.

"You really should let them take a look at you, Oliver. You're a mess."

Oliver threw Diggle a look. "As soon as I know they're okay, I will. Right now, it's not high on my list of priorities, Digg."

Diggle held his hands up in surrender. "Okay. So Slade is really-"

"Dead?" They hadn't really spoken much on the plane, with Diggle taking care of Sara and Felicity. "Yes, he is."

Diggle shook his head. "I'm sorry you had to do that, man. It couldn't have been easy."

"He was going to kill her, John. I didn't have a choice."

"You don't have to explain yourself to me, Oliver. I know that killing him was the last thing you wanted to do." A dark expression crossed his face. "And after what he did to Felicity, I'm only sorry that I wasn't there to do it myself."

Oliver had explained what had happened in the fuselage, how he thought Felicity was dead, and how she ended up with her shoulder wound. To say Diggle was pissed would be an understatement.

Oliver nodded in response but a nurse entering the room interrupted his reply. His pulse spiked at the serious expression on her face. "How are they?"

She turned her attention to him. "Miss Smoak is recovering well, she's still unconscious, but that's due to the blood loss. We closed the wound in her shoulder but she'll need to see her own doctor for a follow up when you take her home."

Oliver's eyes closed as he sighed with relief and then asked the question he was dreading the answer to. "And Sara?"

The nurse shook her head solemnly. "She's still in surgery right now. I can't tell you any more than that, I'm afraid."

"Well, do you know how long she'll be in there?"

Again, she shook her head. "I do not, I'm sorry. All I can tell you is that her condition is critical right now. The surgeons are doing their very best so try not to worry."

Easier said than done, but thanks. "When can I see Felicity?" he asked.

"As soon as she's back in her room. We had to take her to get a few scans to make sure that the arrow didn't hit anything vital. As soon as she's ready, I will come and get you. In the meantime, I think it would be best if you'd let me take a look at your wounds, Mr Queen."

"I'm fine. I don't need any medical attention."

The nurse pursed her lips; she clearly wanted to disagree but knew it would be a waste of her time. "Alright then, I'll come back and update you when I know more."

Oliver nodded as she turned and left the room. "I need to call Lance."

"I'll do that," Diggle said heading towards the door. "You need to call Waller."

Oliver groaned and scraped a hand down his face. "I would rather stick pins in my eyes than talk to her right now."

All he wanted right now was to see Felicity.

"Okay, well why don't you go and get us some coffees then, while I call Lance?"

At his nod, Diggle left the room, leaving him alone with his thoughts. He'd so very nearly lost Felicity today, he could still lose Sara, and all he could do was sit here waiting.

It was frustrating.

He took out his cell phone and blew out a breath as he dialled. Thea answered on the second ring.

"Ollie? Are you okay? What's happening? Is Felicity okay?"

"Easy, Speedy," he said calmly, "I'm okay."

"What about Felicity? Is she…?"

"Felicity's fine or she will be soon. We're in a hospital in Hong Kong right now." He paused for a moment, knowing what he had to tell her would be hard for her to hear. "Listen, Thea, I need to tell you something."

"Oh God, what's wrong?"

"It's Sara. She was shot and uh… it's pretty bad. She's in surgery right now but I don't know if she's going to make it."

Thea went so quiet he could barely hear her breathing. "Thea?"

His sister cleared her throat but he could still hear that little tremble in her voice when she spoke. "She'll make it. She's strong. Did Slade do this to her?"

Oliver looked up at the ceiling to dispel the sudden onset of tears in his eyes. "Yes."

"Is the son of a bitch still alive?"

He recognised that anger in her voice, he still felt it himself, even now. "No, he's dead."

"Good."

He didn't think he could bring himself to tell her that he'd also thought that Felicity was dead, mostly because he didn't think he could actually get the words out and partly because it would only upset Thea even more.

Diggle re-entered the room, wide-eyed and looking as if someone had just punched him in the stomach. "Speedy, I have to go. I'll call you when I know more, okay?"

"Okay. Ollie?"

"Yeah?"

"Give them my love, okay?"

His mouth curved into a sad smile. "You got it. See you."

He hung up and waited for Diggle to sit down next to him. He didn't ask how the conversation with Lance went, he already knew.

"Laurel and Quentin are getting the next available flight out."

"Good. They need to be here."

Diggle leaned forward and dropped his head into his hands. "You know, Lance is a hard-ass most of the time but when I told him what happened to Sara, he just started crying. It was hard to hear. He's scared he's losing her all over again and he might not get here before that happens."

Oliver's heart squeezed painfully. No, that couldn't happen. Sara would make it, she had to. They'd been through too much on that island for it to end this way.

Half an hour later, the nurse came back and told Oliver that Felicity was now ready for visitors. Sara was still in surgery, which was alarming in itself. What was taking them so long?

He and Diggle followed the nurse through the ward to a room that was at the end of a corridor and stopped just outside the open doorway.

"She's still a little groggy but she's awake," the nurse said quietly. "She's on a fairly high dose of pain meds so she'll probably drift in and out for a little while."

Oliver nodded but couldn't form any words to reply. His eyes were fixed on the woman half-sitting, half-lying in the bed before him. Her eyes were closed but her face was relaxed and it calmed him a little to know that she wasn't in any pain. She was wearing a hospital gown but he could see the bandages peeking out from her shoulder beneath it, and other than a few bruises, she seemed relatively okay.

"Are you coming in or is this a free show?" she asked without opening her eyes and Oliver felt the tension release from his shoulders as he and Diggle entered the room.

"Sounds like somebody's feeling better," Diggle said, coming to a stop at her bedside.

Felicity giggled and Oliver could barely believe his own ears. It might be drug-induced but it was the best sound he'd heard in a long time. "Apart from the giant hole in my shoulder, I'm feeling great, Digg."

Diggle smiled and leaned down to squeeze her hand. "I'm glad. You had me worried."

"You, worried? Nah. You have too many muscles for you to have anything to worry about."

Oliver bit his lip, fighting the urge to smile. It seemed wrong when Sara was still fighting for her life. But he had to admit that Felicity on pain meds was too cute to resist. Taking her other hand in his, he leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

"Hmm, that's nice. Your lips are always so soft and warm. They feel good on me," she said in a dreamy tone. But then her eyes widened. "Not on me. I would look ridiculous with man lips. But on my skin. Ugh, you know?"

He gently smoothed his thumb over her cheek. "I know, honey."

Their eyes connected for a few seconds and through the haze of the painkillers, Oliver could see his girl staring right back at him. She's right here and she's alive, was all he could think.

Diggle cleared his throat. "Well, I am going to go… somewhere else and give you two some privacy. I'll go call Lyla again. Felicity," he said waiting for her to look at him.

"Yeah?"

"Behave yourself with him, you're in public,"

That adorable giggle erupted again and it was all Oliver could do not to kiss her senseless.

"Are you suggesting that I would grope him, John Diggle?"

"Not at all," he replied with a wink. "I'll come back and see you later, okay?"

"Okay," she said with a tired sigh. Oliver watched her watch Diggle walk out and then her eyes were back on him. "But you are mine to grope though, right?"

He nodded immediately, tucking her hand against his heart. "Always have been, always will be."

A frown drew her brows together as she studied him. "You're hurt."

He'd cleaned the blood off his face not long after they'd arrived but he was still covered in cuts and bruises. "No, I'm fine. I'm right where I need to be."

The frown deepened. "Slade… he's dead right?"

"He is and I promise he can never hurt you again."

Her expression deepened into one of sadness as she raised a hand to his cheek. "Or you. You're finally free of him."

He placed his hand over hers and nuzzled his face into her palm. "I was never worried about me, Felicity."

"Well, I was!" She tried to sit up but the movement made her wince in pain.

"Hey," he said, gently pushing her back down by her good shoulder. "You need to rest."

She resisted, pushing against his hand even though it was hurting her. But the drugs were heightening her panic, upsetting her even more and it appeared that all the emotion she'd buried to simply keep going on the island was finally coming out.

"No, you act like you're alone in this world, Oliver! When are you going to understand that there are people who love you? That I love you!"

"I know that-"

"Do you? You're always so willing to sacrifice yourself for others because you see yourself as less than them or something. Or you think that because you've done bad things in your past, that you somehow deserve what happens to you. You go off and do these stupid things and you don't think about how much it would kill me if something happened to you."

Oliver pressed her back down again and squeezed her hand; he needed to calm her down and quick. "Okay, I get it, honey."

She continued as if she hadn't heard him at all. "Because every night that you go out, I worry that you're not gonna come home again. If I lose you, I… I don't…"

She was getting more and more flustered so Oliver sat down on the bed and gently pulled her into his arms. "Hey, hey, it's okay. I'm sorry, okay?"

Her fingers dug into his shirt as she pressed her face into his chest. "I can't ever lose you, Oliver."

His heart clenched at the painful memory of seeing her in that fuselage, seconds before it blew up. He knew exactly what she was saying and he hated himself for putting her through that. Maybe she was right. Maybe he was always willing to sacrifice himself first but it wasn't because he thought he was less. Was it? No. He was just a person who would do anything it took to protect the people he loved. Anything.

He'd done many bad things in his time, some that maybe he felt he needed to atone for. But even though she was on painkillers right now, Oliver could see and feel her pain about losing him. It was a strangely liberating feeling, knowing that he had someone who loved him that much. Someone who was that scared to lose him.

"You're not gonna lose me, honey," he whispered into her hair.

"You can't promise that, Oliver." He was relieved to hear that she was starting to calm down now but there was so much pain in her voice and that, he couldn't bear.

"No, I can't. But I can promise that I will do everything humanly possible to come home to you. I won't take stupid risks and I will never leave you."

She let out a big sigh and tipped her head back to look up at him. The love he saw in her gaze almost floored him.

"You are the Arrow," she said, caressing his face. "It's who you are. But you are also Oliver Queen. They are not two separate identities but more like two sides of the same coin. It's time to let go of your past and start living for your future."

Her words hit him right in the chest because he realised that she was right. He had been living with so many shadows over him, so much darkness. But now, with her, he saw a light. She was his light.

"I love you so much, Felicity and the only future I want to think about is one with you."

Tears welled in her eyes as she gazed at him. "I love you too. Just promise me something."

"Anything."

She gnawed at her lip for a second before speaking. "Promise me that you'll stop putting yourself down. It hurts me when you do that. I wish that you could see yourself the way that I see you. You're amazing. So please, promise me."

He blinked, stunned and confused at the same time. Did he really do that so much? He guessed so, but he didn't realise that it hurt her. He peppered little kisses on her forehead. "I promise."

"Good, I will hold you to that."

She pulled his head down to meet his lips with hers, the barest of touches but in it, he felt all the love that she was willingly showing him. He cupped the back of her head but she reared back with a gasp. He let go immediately, afraid that he'd hurt her somehow.

"What is it, what's wrong?"

"Sara? Where's Sara?"

Oliver swallowed hard. He hadn't wanted to tell her about Sara until he knew if she was going to be okay or not. "She's in surgery. No news yet but she's here."

Felicity nodded and he noticed her eyelids starting to droop again. Whatever painkiller she was on sure was strong. "Okay, so all my peeps are here and okay. That's good."

As she drifted off again he didn't have the heart to tell her that one of her 'peeps' might not make it. Instead, he laid her back down, pulled a chair up close to the bed and watched her as she slept, her hand tucked snugly inside both of his.

He sat there studying her breathing, and Oliver finally felt all of the stress and tension leave his body and his own eyes started to grow heavy. He couldn't remember the last time he'd slept so he laid his head down next to their joined hands and let himself drift away.

He awoke a little while later to a hand gently nudging his arm and he jolted straight up in his chair, blinking fast. But Felicity was still fast asleep. He looked up to see Diggle standing over him.

"Hey, what's up?" Oliver asked, rubbing his eyes.

Diggle flicked a glance at Felicity still sleeping so kept his voice low. "Sara's out of surgery."

Instantly alert, Oliver stood up and followed him out into the hall where they could talk without disturbing Felicity. "Is she okay?"

"It was pretty dicey for a while apparently; her blood pressure bottomed out and she crashed on the table. They were able to get her back though."

Oliver flinched at that information. But he waited for Diggle to continue before saying anything.

"But they managed to fix the damage to her lung and she's now in the intensive care unit."

"So… she's gonna be okay?"

"The next twenty-four hours are crucial but they said if she can make it through that, she should make a full recovery. The surgeon did come to talk to you but you were out for the count."

Feeling as if he'd had the wind knocked out of him, Oliver doubled over, leaning his hands on his knees. Sara wasn't out of the woods yet, but just knowing that she'd made it this far filled him with relief. She had been through so much in her life, she was strong enough to beat this, he was sure of it. He took a few deep breaths and stood back up. "When can we see her?"

"They're just getting her all set up; they said they'll let us know."

Oliver nodded and glanced back in the room at Felicity. The hand he'd been holding was now twitching and he could see her beginning to stir from her slumber.

Her eyes fluttered open as he made his way back over to her. "Hey there," he said softly.

She cleared her throat and blinked a few times, and then her face crumpled as she let out a groan. "Ow, I think my pain meds are wearing off."

"Do you want me to get the nurse?" Oliver asked, ready to march towards the door. She grabbed his hand.

"In a minute. Have you heard anything about Sara?"

Oliver sat on the edge of her bed, his thumb rubbing over the smooth skin of her hand. "She's in the ICU and the next few hours are critical, but she's alive."

"Oh, thank God," she whispered.

Oliver didn't want to get her hopes up, just in case something was to happen. "She's not out of the woods yet though."

Felicity nodded. "I know, but we all know Sara. If anyone can get through this, it's her. What about Quentin and Laurel? Do they know yet?"

"I called them earlier," Diggle said, moving from his position in the doorway to her bedside. "They should be on a flight by now."

As Diggle sat down on the other side of Felicity's bed, Oliver watched as she grabbed his hand and looked at both of them with a smile.

"My guys," she whispered, tears forming in her eyes.

Diggle's hand squeezed hers. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head. "Nothing, these are happy tears. I think. But… we made it, right? It's finally over."

Oliver reached out to brush a tear from her cheek. "It's over, honey."

"Four months on an island getting tortured, another month of being tormented here, I was beginning to think it was never going to end." A frown appeared, drawing her brows together. "I still don't understand why Slade killed Ethan. Wouldn't he have been better off with him as back up on Lian Yu? Not that I'm complaining."

The memory of her scars from those attacks would be forever seared into his mind, but Oliver realised that if he was going to have any kind of future with Felicity, he had to move past it. A part of him would always blame himself every time he looked at them, but now he knew that they would just be reminders that she'd survived. That she was strong.

"I guess he was just too much of a liability," Diggle said. "Ethan had served his purpose on the island and when you got home. But his obsession with you was something that I don't think Slade predicted. So he got rid of him."

"Besides, Slade's final act of revenge was always going to be between me and him," Oliver said.

Felicity squeezed his hand in response. "That man does not deserve your remorse. You did what you had to do, Oliver."

He nodded but stayed silent. She was right, but part of him would always mourn the brother he'd once had in Slade.

She let out a pained sigh. He really needed to go find a nurse to give her some more pain relief. "So, what now?"

He leaned forward, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Now, we focus on getting you and Sara better and we go home. We move forward. Together."

"I second that," Diggle said, grinning.

"Sounds like a plan to me." Felicity smiled and even through the pain she was clearly in, Oliver felt the warmth of it wash over him. It really was over. He was finally free.

To Be Continued...