Dear Readers,

This chapter progresses Olicity's romance.

LadyG

"How?"

Adam's gaze met hers, his eyes filled with anger and disbelief. "The judge dismissed it. Said there wasn't enough credible evidence to take the matter to trial."

"What?" Her heart was pounding so fast she was afraid he'd hear it. "I don't understand. You said it was open and shut." Had she missed something?

He tugged at the knot of his tie in irritation. Pulling it loose, he sighed. "That's what it was supposed to be but the judge didn't think so."

Tentatively, her stomach in tangles, she asked the one thing she was dying to know. "Was it because of the Arrow's help?"

He gave a humourless laugh. "Ironically, no. Turns out that our resident vigilante didn't sabotage my case at all."

Felicity swallowed her relief. "Then what was it?" she asked.

"Perez bought the judge. Five minutes in it became obvious that he would never see the inside of a jail cell."

Felicity wished that she was more surprised, but working with Oliver had opened her eyes to a lot of things. "Adam, I'm so sorry." She genuinely felt badly for him.

Flicking his wrist at the piles of paperwork on the table, he continued, "I can't believe that all our work, the hours and hours we've dedicated to this case, down the drain with one pound of the gavel. Apparently corruption and greed is not only confined to large corporations and dirty cops. It reaches higher still, into the realm of learned men and women who should know better, who should be setting the examples."

She'd never seen him this upset before and she could well understand why. Adam was a man of conviction, honorable and moral to the core, he expected others to exhibit the same values. It had to be a serious blow to realize that the very principles he believed in were not shared throughout his discipline. "I can't imagine how you must be feeling." Those words, wholly inadequate, were the only ones that came to mind.

He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against the palms of his hands. "You should have seen it. All our arguments shot down without so much as a fair hearing. Every piece of evidence refuted, made light of, alternate theories posed that ranged from the ridiculous right down to the truly absurd."

"Is there nothing you can do?"

He sat up, shaking his head. "You know, I wasn't naïve enough to think that corruption didn't exist, I know it does. I just didn't expect it from someone I know as well as Judge Thompson. I've seen him on the job, worked beside him many times and seen firsthand how tough he is behind the bench." He raked a hand through his hair in frustration. "How did that change?"

"I guess sometimes people find themselves going down a path they never thought they would and before they know it, they can't get back out," she answered softly. "Perez doesn't strike me as a forgiving man."

"Does that mean that everyone has a price; anyone can be bought?" he asked heatedly, directing his anger towards himself. "Does it mean that even I, with all my lofty ideals about integrity and upholding the principles and ethics of our justice system, will waiver if I saw enough zeros?"

"No," she denied vehemently. A man like Adam wouldn't be swayed by money. He was too decent for that. If all he wanted was riches, he wouldn't have settled for the job of District Attorney.

"Why not?" he countered.

"Because of who you are, because of the life choices you've made. In your spare time, you place children in happy homes, Adam. That doesn't strike me as a man with questionable values. If you wanted a more glamourous existence, you could've had it, easily, and yet here you are, content to slave away as a civil servant," she pointed out rationally. "You are an amazing attorney and this isn't your fault. You can't throw in the towel now. If you did, there would be one less person fighting for the right team. This city and the people in it need you, someone they can count on, even if they don't know it. Please don't give up on them."

He gave her a sad smile, his hand lifting to cup her cheek. Instantly, she was reminded of her earlier encounter with Oliver and how his hand had felt caressing her skin. Thankfully Adam didn't seem to notice her cheeks growing warmer. "I don't know, Felicity. I don't think I know anything anymore." With that crestfallen statement, he stood and gathered his files and folders.

Her heart aching for him, she reached forward to help. "So…does this change your opinion about the vigilante and his way of achieving justice?" she asked, hopefully.

His words came swift and without hesitation, ringing with conviction. "No. You can't fight one type of crime by perpetuating another. What's good for one should be good for all. If what the Arrow does is acceptable, then that gives other law breakers a free pass too. Why have rules if it's okay for some to break them, but not for others? I just can't accept that."

Felicity's heart sank to the floor as she absorbed the undeniable truth. He would never understand what Oliver was trying to achieve, never be able to see the other side of the coin. He certainly tolerated the Arrow's presence in Starling City, was able to acknowledge that he did good work, but ultimately the manner in which he went about doing so was something Adam would never be able to accept. It strayed too far from his own beliefs about how justice should be attained and how everyone should be treated fairly, with no exceptions. The truth was, if he knew of her involvement, he'd never forgive her. So ultimately, being with Adam would mean turning her back on Oliver and his cause. More importantly, it would mean walking away from being a part of something that was incredibly vital to who she was and what she believed in. She'd never ask Adam to change who he was for her and she was sure that he'd never expect that from her either. "Do you want some company?"

"Thank you, but no." His smile was pinched. "I'd like a little time to regroup, if you don't mind?" He turned towards her and grabbed her hands in his.

Truth be told, she felt a little relieved. She needed to think and while she wanted to be sure that he was alright, it was probably best that she gave him some space. In fact, she needed some too. Reaching up on her toes and kissed his cheek. "I understand. You will call me if you need anything?" she insisted.

He nodded obediently. "Promise." Gathering her against him, he gave her a hug. "Thank you for coming. It means a lot."

"You're welcome. I'll call you later." With an encouraging smile in his direction, she stepped around him and exited the court room.

Whoever had said that you could have everything in life had clearly never been in her predicament.

"You seem distracted," Sara said. "That's the third time I've knocked you down…and I wasn't even trying."

Oliver looked up from his vantage point on the floor. She was right, he was distracted. Usually he didn't find himself flat on his back more than once, if at all, when they sparred. Flopping down beside him, she extended a hand towards him and pulled him into a sitting position. "Sorry," he said.

"What's going on?" she asked, wiping a bead of sweat off her forehead.

Oliver looked at her, not at all sure she'd appreciate knowing the truth. "Nothing to worry about."

She raised an eyebrow. "Ollie, spit it out."

"Sara, I don't want to hurt you."

"Felicity," she replied, knowingly. There was no reproach in her voice.

Taken aback, he asked, "How did you know that?"

Rolling her eyes, she grabbed the bottle of water beside her and took a swig. "I'm not blind. I could see this coming a mile off and never understood why neither of you could."

"I didn't break up with you-"

Lifting a hand she halted him. "I never thought you did."

Relieved, he accepted the bottle she offered him and drank deeply.

"You love her," she stated, without preamble.

He sputtered and coughed. "No subtlety, I see."

She laughed. "You know me, that's not my style. I cut to the chase." She watched him. "Well?"

"I don't know what you want me to say," he responded frankly.

"I want you to tell me the truth."

He sighed. He had never been good at keeping things from Sara. She knew him too well. "Yes," he admitted, looking her straight in the eye. "I do love her." A little uncomfortable, he attempted to explain, "Sara-"

"No, no. Please don't apologise," she assured him, touching his arm. "I meant it when I said that I wanted us to be friends and as your friend, I also want you to be happy. My feelings aren't hurt. " She smiled. "Have you told her how you feel?"

He shook his head. "She's dating someone else. It's not right that I ruin that for her. Not after all I've put her through." Felicity deserved to be happy and if that wasn't with him, as much as it hurt, he'd learn to make peace with it.

She was looking at him strangely. "You've changed."

Feeling self-conscious, he shrugged, not commenting.

"The old Ollie would have taken what he wanted and not cared about the people standing in his way."

He felt ashamed to hear her say that. "Maybe that's not how I want to be anymore."

"I'm glad," she replied, softly. "You know, if I met someone who made me want to be a better person and became the catalyst that drove me toward that goal, I wouldn't let him go."

"I don't have a choice, Sara," he said with resignation.

She huffed. "Since when? I'm not telling you to steal her away, I'm telling you to let her know she's got options."

Annoyed, he replied. "It's not that simple."

"You're afraid," she said, her eyes widening with discovery.

"I don't know what you mean," he deflected. Her words stuck at his core.

She sat on her haunches, studying him. "You are. You're afraid that she won't reciprocate."

He was silent for a moment. "Well, what if she doesn't? It would just make things incredibly awkward."

"Knowing is always better than wondering and telling someone how you truly feel about them can never be wrong, not when your intentions are good."

"I don't want to tell her something she'd rather not hear." There was no way he ever wanted to be accused of being selfish again.

She brushed a wet bang out of her face. "You know, Felicity is a big girl and she can make her own decisions. If she doesn't feel the same way, then it'll be okay. But not saying anything because you think you'll be doing her a favour, isn't chivalrous, Ollie, it's cowardly."

He was about to respond when Roy halted halfway down the stairs. "Sara, Thea's looking for you."

"Coming," she called. Focusing on Oliver again, she smiled. "Think about it." Patting his hand, she grabbed her water bottle and jogged towards the stairs.

Maybe Sara was right. Maybe he was afraid. All his life, he'd always been sure of his abilities with woman. He knew how to handle them, how they responded to him. He could have anyone he wanted. It wasn't conceit, just fact. But with Felicity, he was never sure about anything. One moment he was certain she cared and then the next he was back to second guessing himself. He didn't fear rejection, he'd been dumped before, but never by anyone he felt this strongly about, that he wanted as much. So yes, the thought of placing himself in a position where she might rebuff him, was frightening.

Standing, he walked over to his exercise equipment. Could he start a fight he wasn't sure he could win? Was he brave enough?

Walking into the foundry, Felicity found Oliver hanging from his vertical pull-up rack, the sight of his sweat socked, muscular back stopping her in her tracks. He hadn't seen her yet, which gave her a moment to observe him unnoticed. It wasn't as though she hadn't seen him doing the same thing a million times before. In fact, it was one of his favourite pastimes. The difference was that she was finally looking at him with her filters removed, through the eyes of a woman who was no longer in denial about how he made her feel; how she felt about him. Without her walls to hide behind, it was like the floodgates had opened, and everything she'd ever felt for him came rushing to the fore. The anticipation of seeing him, the joy at being near him, the heat that overwhelmed her when he looked at her in a particular way, the rush and thrill of excitement when they shared a victory. It was there now, so many memories. She accepted that it had always been there, buried deeply beneath her hurt and disappointment. But as Oliver had attempted to make amends, slowly showing her that he could be the man she'd always believed him capable of being, it had become increasingly harder to remain indifferent.

In some ways it was a relief to admit it to herself, to not constantly have to pretend that his nearness didn't affect her. Conversely, it was hard too. She cared about Adam and she didn't want to hurt him. Harder still was the growing feeling that what she felt for Oliver could not be rivaled by anyone. So much of who she now was was because of him and the trust he'd shown her by bringing her into his secret world. He'd made her a part of something bigger, the impact of which was so much greater than she could have ever imagined and the rewards infinitely more fulfilling. No one had ever done anything like that for her.

With a grunt, propelled himself upward still, just hanging there for a moment, the muscles of his back tense and coiled. He had a beautiful body. There were many times when she'd been unable to stop herself from watching him, not even caring that she wasn't being particularly discreet about it. Then later, she'd grown to resent his physicality and her weakness to it. Shutting off that side of her, she'd stopped paying attention to him, preferring to keep her mind concentrated on work. Staring at him now, she wondered how she'd ever managed to do that.

Swallowing her sudden attack of nerves, she forced herself forward. "Hey," she called, walking past him.

She saw him glance down before she heard him making his descent. Her stomach erupted with butterflies when his feet touched the ground. "How's Adam? I saw some reports on the news."

Turning, she forced herself to stay focused on his face. It was particularly challenging when confronted with his perfect physique, his abdominal muscles rippling as he reached for a towel to mop up some sweat. "Not too good, I'm afraid. He's taken the news really badly."

Oliver nodded, his eyes locking with hers. She could feel the heat creeping up her neck. Is it hot in here? "What happened?"

She relayed the story and watched as his jaw tightened in anger. "So, in the end there wasn't much he could do," she finished.

"We need to go after the judge."

Felicity nodded, a surge of familiar adrenalin shooting through her. "I was thinking the same thing." He would not get away with it. "Although Adam's chance at prosecuting Perez may be gone forever."

Oliver hooked the towel around his neck and Felicity tried extra hard to keep her gaze from wondering across his exposed torso. "Not if I can help it."

He was starting at her. Instantly her thoughts strayed into dangerous territory as silence stretched between them. She watched, fascinated, as a trickle of moisture ran down the side of his neck, racing across his toned chest, down towards…He cleared his throat and she hopped, breaking the unexpected tension. His voice oddly strained he asked, "Would you mind starting to look into it?" Throwing the towel into a nearby basket, he reached for his shirt. Disappointed, she watched his abs disappearing. "I want to know what Perez has on him."

Mentally shaking herself, she agreed, turning to log onto her machine. This was what she enjoyed; the excitement of information gathering, the opportunities to use her skills to help someone else. Hearing Oliver's departing footsteps, she turned and called, "Thank you."

He smiled and shrugged. "It's what we do, Felicity."

Oliver was right. That was what they did. They stopped bad people from destroying innocent lives and they were darned good at it. She was good at it. The thrill of the chase, being creative and inventive in the ways she solved problems, attained or even destroyed information, was what she loved about working for Team Arrow. She'd even enjoyed the few occasions she'd been out in the field. Terrifying as it might have been at times, she was proud of herself for having done it. Her day job at QC just didn't compare. In contrast, it was mundane and predictable. She couldn't go back to that.

Diggle had mentioned choosing himself over a relationship with Carly because they'd wanted different things. Perhaps the same was true for her and Adam. She cared about him, she could even love him if she truly allowed herself to, but what she wanted and needed in her life were things that he would never be able to accept. Ultimately, giving them up wasn't something she wanted to do, at least not yet; she wasn't ready. Continuing to lie to him about the fundamental things in her life wasn't right either. Adam deserved better than that. He was a good man and if she was a different woman, she'd have no doubts that he'd be able to make her very happy. But committing fully to him would mean sacrificing who she was and what she believed was right. She couldn't do that. Similarly, expecting him to understand and accept her point of view would be asking him to sacrifice the principles he lived by. That wouldn't be fair either.

Sad, but resolute, she stared at her screen, her fingers poised above the keys, knowing what she needed to do.

She had to break things off with Adam.