Slade had removed the zip-ties from her hands and ankles, replacing them with ropes, which were only marginally less painful. She squirmed, struggling against the ropes. If she had to sit one more hour, listening to Slade talking to himself in the other room, she'd go crazy.

"Just kill me already." She muttered, trying to pull her wrists though the ropes. "It'll be more comfortable and less annoying."

There was a noise behind her. She whirled around as a cold breeze fluttered the curtains. She gulped; the windows had all been closed. She'd checked. The door banged open and Slade walked in, glaring at her.

"What?" She said. Slade looked at the window. Shooting her a suspicious look, he walked over to the window, sticking his head out. Felicity gulped.

"Did you open this?" He growled. Felicity lifted her bound hands.

"Kinda tied up." She said. Slade gnashed his teeth before looking over to the side of the room. It was at though he was listening to someone.

"I know." He growled. "But I don't think she understands." Felicity looked at the corner of the room.

"Who are you talking to?" She asked. Slade ignored her.

"She'll see." He said. "But she has to be made to listen."

"Wha-"

Slade stopped her by smacking her across the face. The blow was hard enough to send her to the floor. She squeezed her eyes shut as pain radiated through her cheek. Slade picked her up and put her back on the couch.

"Don't touch me." She said, shrinking away from him as he reached his fingers to her face. He gripped her chin, staring into her eyes.

"You still do not see..." He said slowly before dropping her and pulling away. He walked out, shutting and locking the door. Felicity lowered her head, letting tears fall.

"Are you hurt?" She looked up. Bruce was emerging from behind the curtain of the far window. He walked over to her, gently cupping her jaw to look at where Slade had hit her. She was so relieved she could kiss him. He pressed his finger to his lips. "Where's Slade?" He whispered, coming around and cutting her free. She pointed to the other room. Bruce took her wrists in his hand and looked over the red raw marks from the zip-ties and ropes. He growled. "We're getting you out of here."

She nodded, getting to her feet. Bruce, pulled her into his arms, carrying her. She wound her arm over his shoulders as he went back towards the window.

"Batman." Slade's voice rang through the room. Felicity gripped Bruce's shoulders. "I don't believe you were invited." He smiled. "Ms. Smoak, leaving so soon and without a goodbye?"

"Go." She whispered, looking at the tension in Bruce's jaw she could tell he was going to try and fight him. "We can fight him later."

He nodded, removing something from his utility belt.

"Well I'm afraid that isn't happening." Slade drew his sword. Bruce put her down, turning to block her body with his.

"There's a grapple attached to the let side of my utility belt." He said. "Get it and fire it at the building across." Felicity took it.

"What are you-?" She gasped as he ran at Slade. "NO."

Bruce ducked Slade's first sword strike. The second one hit his arm. Felicity covered her mouth in horror, but it only struck metal.

"I made a few upgrades to the suit since the last time we fought." Bruce growled. Felicity turned and shot the grapple at the building as Bruce had instructed.

"So I see." Slade said, his voice sounded amused. "What is it that made you decide to save this woman?"

Bruce didn't respond, instead he used Slade's distraction to stab him with a syringe. Slade blinked in surprise, then let out a laugh. The laugh quickly turned to a coughing fit as he pressed his hand to his neck. Bruce stepped back, grabbing Felicity and taking the grapple from her. Shooting it, he jumped. Felicity clung to him, biting her lip to keep her from screaming. There was an open car waiting for them. Bruce landed inside, putting her down. She shifted into the backseat as the car roof came up over them.

"That should hold him." Bruce said as the car roared through the Starling streets. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "What was that?" She mimed stabbing. The corner of Bruce's mouth twitched.

"An antidote that Alfred and I have been working on." He said. Felicity's eyes opened wide. He'd found a way to reverse Mirakuru? He winced. "It needs a bit more work...at most it caused him unimaginable pain and gave him hives."

Felicity glanced at her wrists. "Well I'll take what I can get and if unimaginable pain is all there is, then well..." She glanced outside. "Where are we going?"

"The Ferris Air strip." Bruce replied.

"Is this some misguided attempt to get me out of the city?" Felicity asked. Bruce sighed.

"No this is a completely rational decision to get you as far away from the man who kidnapped you as possible." He said.

"I can't just-"

"Yes you can." Bruce said. "You have a target on your back and Slade won't be as forgiving next time he comes near you." He pulled up to the airstrip. Alfred was standing next to a small plane. Bruce got out, holding the door open for her.

"I'm not leaving." Felicity said.

"Why?" Bruce growled. "Because of Queen?" He was jealous.

"You're using this as an excuse to get what you want." She hissed, getting out of the car. "You're manipulating this because you want me in Gotham and this kidnapping conveniently gives you an-"

Bruce pulled her against him, pulling down his cowl. "Never say that I think you being in danger is convenient." There was pain in his eyes. Felicity pressed her hands against his chest.

"Bruce, I don't want to run."

"Don't think of it as running." He said. "Think of it as strategic retreat. You can run coms from Gotham and I promise you the Batcave is way more advanced than whatever set up you had in the Arrow Lair." He grimaced. His grip on her arms tightened and he buckled.

"Bruce?" She said. He grit his teeth.

"I think..." He motioned to his side. "That he hit me harder than I thought."

"What?" There was a gash on his side. Alfred rushed over to steady him. When had that even happened?

"There's a medical table and supplies on the plane." Alfred said, putting Bruce's arm around his shoulders and carrying him to the plane. Felicity followed.

Bruce woke, groaning as he tried to get up. He squinted in confusion at his surroundings. The Batcave. When had he gotten back to Gotham?

"He's awake." A voice next to him said. "ALFRED."

He winced, looking next to him. "Felicity?"

"Yeah." Her cheeks were tear-stained and she looked like she hadn't slept in a while. She was also gripping his hand. "How do you feel?"

"Like he's been stabbed, I'd imagine." Alfred had arrived and he did not look happy. "Master Bruce what have we said about ignoring injuries?"

Bruce shifted slightly, a white-hot pain shooting through his side. "It's just a flesh wound." He muttered. Alfred scoffed.

"You could have died." Felicity said. "You lost a lot of blood." She hadn't let go of his hand. He was grateful for the contact. She

"Alfred." He whispered. "Can you give us a minute?"

Alfred nodded, moving away. Bruce sat up, ignoring the pain in his side. Felicity let go of his hand, glancing around. "So. You got me to come to Gotham."

"And all it took was being stabbed." He said. Felicity let out a small laugh.

"There are less dramatic ways to win arguments." She murmured, wiping at her eyes. He squeezed her fingers.

"Let me guess" He said. "Something I'd know if I'd bothered to contact you in the last three years?"

Felicity grimaced. "Somehow bringing up how stupid you were to hide from me doesn't feel right in this moment." She frowned. "But I can't believe you didn't say you were injured. I...I thought I was going to lose you." She looked at the ground, her hand dropping his. "And I really didn't want that to happen."

"I'm not that easy to kill." Bruce said.

"Good." Felicity breathed, giving him a smile.

"Master Bruce," Alfred moved forward. "Ms. Felicity has yet to go into the main house. Might I suggest we all go upstairs for some much needed rest?" Bruce arched a questioning brow at Felicity who nodded. He got to his feet, shaking his head at Alfred and Felicity's offers of help. They went through the manor in silence before stopping in front of Bruce's bedroom door. Alfred made himself busy, fluffing the pillows and fussing over Bruce while Felicity stood, uncertainly in the doorway, watching their movements with wide eyes. She didn't want to come in, but it also seemed like she didn't want to leave.

"Alfred." Bruce protested. "I'm fine, I've dealt with worse."

"I've dealt with worse." Something about those words made Felicity snap.

"And that's supposed to make this okay?" She said. Both Alfred and Bruce froze, looking at her in shock. Alfred gave her a small understanding smile before leaving the room. She stepped out of the way waiting for the door to close before looking back at Bruce. He was waiting for her to say something. "I just..." She looked at the ground. "Things were just starting to make sense between us and I...I just wish we could connect like normal people, not through being held hostage by crazy supersoldiers and sword stabbings." She moved across the room and sat on the edge of the bed, her back to Bruce. He let out a small chuckle. She glared over her shoulder at him. "This isn't funny."

"It kinda is." He leaned back against the pillows. "The night we first met, I was taking down a gang of thieves. Nothing about our relationship is normal."

Felicity moved so she was facing him. "When did you have time to get them?" She asked, running through her memories of that night. "I know I was drunk, but I'd like to think I could remember you changing into batman and delving out bat justice..." She paused. "Though I didn't remember getting married so maybe I'm not as perceptive as I like to think I am." Bruce smirked.

"It was when you were asleep." He said. "I climbed out the window."

"Huh." So he'd gone out and Batmanned while she was asleep. She pictured him slipping back into the room in his batsuit. It wasn't sexy, nope definitely not. She flushed, turning away from his gaze. His fingers touched her wrist. She fiddled with the necklace around her neck, it struck her that she hadn't been upfront with some details about that night as well. "I was...trying to escape from something that night." She admitted softly. "Some one I cared about..." She winced. Even years later the wound of Cooper's death was still fresh. "Someone I loved died." She exhaled.

"I know." Bruce said. She arched an eyebrow at him. "Background check." He admitted. "Just to make sure you weren't dangerous."

"Oh I'm plenty dangerous." Felicity muttered. Bruce grinned.

"I know that now."

"That's not what I mean." She swallowed. She'd never told anyone the circumstances that had led to Cooper's arrest and...his suicide. "It's my fault that he's gone." She gripped the locket tighter. "I wrote the code that he used to hack the FBI. He told them he'd created it to protect me."

Bruce's fingers encircled her wrist and he gently tugged her towards him. She went without protest, allowing herself to be folded into his side.

"Ironic, isn't it?" She mumbled. "All this time you thought you were keeping me safe by staying away from me, but now." she looked down at his bandaged side. "This happened because of me."

"No." Bruce said. "This is Slade Wilson's fault." He drew his fingers up her arm. "And I've been injured saving complete strangers." He looked down at her. "Your boyfriend wasn't your fault either. People make their own decisions, Felicity." He tightened his hold slightly. "You may have created the code, but he chose how to use it. You going to prison because he'd misused your invention wouldn't have been fair."

She didn't notice she was crying again until he brushed his fingers under her eyes. She ducked her head, wiping her eyes furiously. "Can I...can I stay here tonight?" She whispered. The thought of leaving was too much to bear. He nodded.

"Stay as long as you need."