Hey guys, as always, thanks for taking the time to review! I love getting your feedback. Hope this next chapter can ease some of those hellatus blues. I'm having Olicity withdrawals already! Happy reading!

Chapter 25

"I was surprised to see you on my calendar," Tommy declared as he stood up from his desk to greet Oliver. "A simple text message would've been fine instead of going through my assistant. We are best friends, after all."

Oliver had been debating how to broach Tommy all morning. Eventually, he decided that there was no right way. He just had to go to Merlyn Global and get it over with. "Well, I know how busy you are. I wanted to make sure we had time to talk."

"Uh oh. That's never good. Are you breaking up with me?" Tommy joked.

"Not today," Oliver replied.

Instead of returning to his desk, Tommy gestured to the seats in front of it. "So what's up?"

"We've been dealing with an issue at QC," he began. "It's confidential."

"You know I won't say anything," Tommy promised before prompting him to go on.

"The Applied Sciences division at QC was working on some kind of formula to enhance the performance of the military. There were complications, and the project was slated. Recently, I found out that the formulas were stolen. We've launched our own internal investigation to track them down." Oliver went on to explain what happened to some of the test subjects and how random men have been popping up exhibiting the same side effects. He also told Tommy about the incident at the Italian restaurant-minus the part about Cooper-and the test results the lab had analyzed.

"So you believe that Merlyn Global supplied the nanotech that was found in the attackers' blood samples?"

"It's a strong possibility is all I'm saying," Oliver replied. "I learned from Ray Palmer that he sold his nanotechnology research to your father a few years back. Ray said that your father claimed the research had been put on hold and shelved for a later time."

"Of course he did," Tommy muttered with a shake of his head. "Let me guess, you don't believe Ray."

"I believe he thinks the project was shelved, but Merlyn Global is the only company here in Starling with access to that kind of technology. As CEO, I was hoping you could see if there were any inconsistencies in your records. Maybe the research didn't stop like your father had said."

"Sure, give me a couple of minutes. I'll see what I can dig up." Tommy returned to his desk and started typing on his computer.

Meanwhile, Oliver checked his phone. There was no new information from either Felicity or Diggle, but it was a busy day at the office-especially after what had happened that morning. No one would dare say anything to his face about Felicity, though Oliver knew the gossip was making the rounds. Carrie would make sure of that. Thinking about their earlier conversation made his irritation flare anew.

"What the...?" Tommy muttered with a perplexed look on his face.

"What's the matter?"

"There is a record of the nanotech research, but the system is saying that I don't have access. I'm the CEO. I should have access to everything. How does that even happen?"

Oliver already had a pretty good idea about why the people involved would like to keep Tommy in the dark. "What are you doing?" he asked as Tommy picked up the phone.

"If I don't have access, then I'm going to call someone who will give it to me."

"Tommy, wait," Oliver warned and placed his hand on the phone. "Maybe you shouldn't."

"Why not?"

"We don't know the full story here."

"Hence why I'm going to make a call," Tommy stated, frowning. "Oliver, you're the one who brought this to my attention."

"I know that, but this is dangerous, Tommy. People connected to this have died. There is a reason you weren't informed about this. After what happened with the Undertaking..." Tommy flinched slightly at its mention, but Oliver knew it would drive his point home. "All I'm saying is that we should be discrete."

Sighing, Tommy put the phone back down. "I guess you're right."

"That does happen from time to time."

"Unfortunately," Tommy quipped and ran a hand over his face. "So what exactly should I do? What's our next move?"

"With your permission, I'd like to bring Felicity in on this. If there's something to find, she'll find it. She already has access here, since she helped during the Brother Eye attack. It wouldn't look out of the ordinary if she came back to check on things."

"That makes sense," Tommy agreed. "What does she need?"

"Probably access to the mainframe, but I'll talk to her and see," Oliver said. "But if you do find something out, don't go through my assistant or my work email. Use my personal one. If there's one thing I learned from Felicity, it's that we're never not being watched online."

"No message to Carrie. Got it."

"Actually, it's Jerry now," Oliver informed him.

"What happened to Carrie? Did she quit?" Tommy added, "Because I find that hard to believe. She was really...dedicated in her job."

Oliver shrugged casually. "Sort of."

Tommy, however, wasn't falling for it. "She found out about you and Felicity and flipped, didn't she?" He chuckled at Oliver's look of surprise. "Seriously, buddy, you are a shitty liar. Did you really think I didn't know that you and Felicity were together by now? I was there Thanksgiving. I saw all of the looks."

"You and everyone else, apparently."

"So what did Carrie say when you told her?"

"I didn't tell her anything. She saw us kissing in my office."

"Nice," Tommy complimented.

"Not really," Oliver grumbled, remembering the way she'd confronted him after he'd met with the planning committee. The long-dreaded conversation finally came to a head as Oliver explained to her that Felicity deserved more respect than Carrie had been giving her lately. He also reaffirmed their professional relationship; Oliver was the boss and Carrie was the assistant. Certain lines were not to be crossed either inside or outside of the office.

When Oliver suggested that Carrie transfer to another part of the company-he didn't want to fire her, because she really was good at her job-she seemed to see red. She'd gone off on a tangent about how Felicity was nothing more than an untrustworthy gold digger. She'd even claimed that something was going on with Felicity and Ray behind Oliver's back. It was when Carrie actually mentioned how disappointed his mother would be that Oliver lost the rest of his patience. He'd fired her on the spot, which then prompted Carrie to shout that she quit. Carrie didn't go quietly either. Security had to be called, undoubtedly making the office gossip that much juicier. Jerry, who'd been an assistant to the CFO, was quickly brought in until they could find a suitable replacement. Oliver had already informed HR that this time around he wanted someone older with years of experience. He didn't need any more complications. Needless to say, after dealing with that all morning, visiting with Tommy was a welcomed relief for Oliver.

"Well, I'm happy for you, Ollie. After all you've been through, you deserve to have someone like Felicity in your life."

"We're still figuring things out, but thanks," Oliver said. "How are you and Laurel?"

Tommy chuckled wryly. "That's a loaded question. We've been going out more...and staying in."

Oliver nodded, understanding the double-meaning. "But you're still not together."

"No. It's not the right time. We're both focused on our careers and with the press-"

Although he and Tommy could be so different, there were times when they were almost too alike. Oliver interjected, "Tommy, you and Laurel have both been managing your careers pretty well thus far. And the press is always going to be the press. One minute they love us and the next minute they're cursing our names. A good friend once told me there never is a right time. Felicity and I would still be walking on eggshells with each other if I hadn't taken his advice."

"It's different. You're living with her. You don't have the luxury of avoiding each other."

"In some ways it's harder, because it's not permanent. Once Felicity's contract"-he nearly choked on the word-"is up, she could go back to Boston. Nothing has been decided yet. Starling is Laurel's home. She's not going anywhere and, to me, it sounds like the only thing stopping the two of you from giving it another shot is you. You know more than me the pain she went through during my time away. She deserves to be happy, and so do you."

Tommy sighed. "I hate being an adult. I'd much rather go back to the days of our Super Soaker fights."

"If I remember correctly, sometimes Laurel joined in on those, too."

"Crap. You're right. So basically I'm screwed."

Oliver shrugged. "It seems we're both works in progress."

"Have you actually asked Felicity to stay?"

"Don't change the subject," Oliver retorted.

Tommy countered, "Don't dodge the question."

"Like I said, we're figuring things out."

"Is she still sleeping in the guest room?" The glare Oliver sent Tommy had him holding his hands up in surrender. "Hey, I'm just asking. I told you about me and Laurel."

"Felicity and I...we're..." Oliver didn't know how to answer or even if he should. He settled on: "She's been sleeping in my room since the attack. Just sleeping."

"Have you at least told her you love her?" Tommy warned, "Don't even try to deny that you do. You wouldn't be so protective of her and be fine with just sleeping if you weren't." His best friend had no problem calling him out.

Oliver was at a loss for words. There was that one time during Thanksgiving he'd almost told Felicity, but then they'd gotten interrupted. Oliver knew exactly why he was holding back, but it was nothing he could share with Tommy.

Oliver's silence seemed to speak volumes to his friend. With a knowing expression, he declared, "Looks like I'm not the only one getting in his own way."

There was lots of chatter tonight on the police scanner. Too much chatter, in fact. Felicity was having a difficult time keeping up with all of the different incidents being reported. Some were minor violations while others ended in violence and trips to the hospital. The SCPD seemed to have most of it handled, but the disturbances were putting Felicity on edge. With each new disturbance, she feared that it somehow involved Cooper and his goons. The reality was that the city was bound to get more dangerous with the holidays approaching. The most wonderful time of the year sure did cause a lot of crazy.

"Dinner is served," Diggle announced as he entered the Foundry with two bags filled with Chinese takeout.

Felicity took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes as her stomach grumbled. It had been a long day, and she really hadn't eaten enough. "Oh my God, that smells so good!" She stood up and stretched before helping him to spread it all out on one of the work tables.

"I figured you could use a decent meal. I got a side order of those dumplings you like." Diggle handed her the container. "These are all yours."

With a grateful, beaming smile, Felicity threw her arms around his broad shoulders. "Dig, you make it impossible for me not to love you."

Chuckling, Diggle placed his arm around her and hugged her back. "You're not so bad yourself, Felicity."

"You're not sick of me after guarding me all the time?"

"Oddly, no. You're much more entertaining than when I have to guard Oliver," he jokingly replied.

"I'll bet. Plus, it's not like Oliver actually needs you to watch him." The times she'd seen Oliver take down a criminal firsthand with such strength and precision had left her in awe. If she didn't know he was a good guy and he didn't look so damn sexy in his Arrow suit, she probably would've ran screaming in the other direction.

"It's true. He's taught me a thing or two, but we all have our covers. Where would Oliver Queen be without his black driver?" he teased.

"I think mine was officially blown today," Felicity muttered.

"You mean when the two of you were found making out in his office?" Diggle smirked and handed her a paper plate.

Felicity groaned, "Oh dear God, not you, too."

"Good news travels fast."

"That's a relative term. And we were not making out. We were...saying good-bye before we went our separate ways for the day."

"Well, it must've been one hell of a farewell to make Carrie quit."

"Carrie quit?" Felicity asked, shocked. She hadn't heard any of this. Was she the only person at QC that minded their own business and actually did work?

"I escorted her out of the building. It wasn't pretty."

"Good riddance, then." Felicity took an extra scoop of the shrimp lo mien. She deserved it.

"Amen to that," Diggle agreed. "That girl had a screw loose, if you want my opinion."

They grabbed a couple of seats and began to eat. After a few minutes, Felicity asked, "Have you heard anything new about Brad?" Felicity might not have liked the guy, but he did get thrown through a window while trying to protect her. The guy deserved some sympathy. She'd sent a get-well card and gift basket to the hospital as a thank you.

"He's awake and seems to be doing better. He might be released in a couple of days, but he won't be back for a while."

"I figured. I'm glad he's doing better, though." Oliver had needed to hire a couple more guys to the security team to make up for the loss. They couldn't take any chances now that Cooper's threats actually had merit.

Taking a bite of her dumpling, Felicity closed her eyes and savored the warm, rich taste. It was the little things in life you had to enjoy when the whole world was going to hell. "Seriously, what do they put in these dumplings to make them taste so good?"

"I've lived in Hong Kong. You probably don't want to know," Oliver said, approaching them.

"Hey, I didn't hear you come in."

"Took the side entrance. The club is packed upstairs."

"What's going on?"

"Tommy hired this new DJ. He's supposedly the best one in the city. The turnout was larger than expected."

"That's good for business, right?"

Oliver shrugged and grabbed a plate of his own. He wasn't that well-versed in the latest popular trends. "We're not in the red, so probably. How were your days? Find anything else out about the nanotechnology?"

"Ray's story checked out," Diggle informed him. "He hasn't had any involvement with the nanotech since he sold it to Merlyn."

"When I met with him this afternoon, Ray seemed eager to help find an antidote for the formula. He and the lab are making it their top priority," Felicity added. "How was your day? Did Tommy tell you anything useful?"

"He didn't know anything about Merlyn Global acquiring the nanotech. When he tried to learn more about it, his access was denied."

"It's odd that a CEO would not be privy to something like that," Diggle commented.

"Exactly. Felicity, this looks like a job for you. I don't know that I want Tommy asking a whole bunch of questions if there are dangerous people in the company involved in this. Tommy is going to give you access to the Merlyn Global mainframe again. Do you think you can dig something up?"

Aside from her virus and the Brother Eye message, Felicity hadn't noticed that Cooper had infiltrated another part of the system. The fact that she'd missed it irked her to no end. She wouldn't stop digging until she found out everything he'd accessed. "It might take me some time to get through, but you know I'll crack it. When can I start?"

"I'm waiting for a confirmation from Tommy, but I'm hoping tomorrow."

"Let me know, and I'll be there. Anything else you'd like to tell me about today?" Felicity prompted when it appeared that was all he was going to share.

Oliver paused mid-bite at her probing tone. He looked to Diggle as his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What have you heard?"

"Oh, nothing much," Felicity casually remarked. "Just that you now have an opening for an executive assistant."

"You interested? I think the odds of you getting the position would be stacked in your favor. How are you at filing?" Oliver teased.

"Nice try, but no way in hell." Both Oliver and Diggle laughed at her strong response. Being someone's secretary was like Felicity's nightmare. She didn't skip high school and bust her butt in MIT all those years to end up pushing paper and fetching her boss's coffee.

"Well, if you change your mind, let me know. The job is yours."

"Yeah, don't hold your breath, buddy," Felicity quipped. "When I asked about the position, I was more curious about Carrie's dramatic exit. What happened?"

There was a beeping noise at the computer. Diggle motioned that he'd check it out. She knew he was giving them some space to talk. He was always good about that.

"We had very different opinions about the boundaries of our work relationship," Oliver explained. "I offered to have her transferred to another division, but she refused and quit." Felicity didn't need to know all of the details of their strained conversation or the colorful names Carrie had called both of them on her way out.

Felicity used her fork to swipe the rice back and forth on her plate. "I'm sorry if I made things more difficult for you." She was thrilled that Carrie was gone, but she hadn't meant to give Oliver another thing to stress about.

"Felicity, it wasn't just you. That conversation was a long time coming." He reached for her hand. "But even if it was, I would always defend you."

She felt her heart beat faster at his words and squeezed his hand. "Thank you, Oliver."

"Oliver," Diggle called, interrupting the moment. "We've got a problem."

So much for dinner, Felicity couldn't help but think.

The pair stood up and joined Diggle. The cameras from the club above were on the screen. There was some kind of disturbance in Verdant. Several figures pushed through the crowd and tossed people to the side. The club security approached them, and a fight broke out. The bouncer, who was well over two-hundred pounds, went down with one punch. That was when Oliver knew the men were Cooper's.

"Diggle," Oliver said.

"On it," Diggle replied and went to retrieve their weapons.

"Felicity, call the cops. As soon as we leave, I want you to put this entire place on lockdown," Oliver ordered.

"Do you think Cooper knows we're down here?" The panic was evident in her voice. She looked once more at the screen and blanched. Felicity knew that Oliver could take care of himself, but these weren't normal men. Cooper had turned them into mindless monsters.

"I don't know, but I'm not taking any chances. You lock this place down and don't open it unless I tell you to. Understood?"

"But if they-"

He took her face in his hands and forced her to meet his gaze. "You don't open those doors unless I give you the word. Promise me." Oliver realized that he sounded a bit harsh, but this was important.

"I promise," Felicity conceded despite every instinct inside of her screaming otherwise.

Without another word, Oliver went to retrieve his Arrow suit and bow. Minutes later he and Diggle-wearing a ski mask since Oliver Queen's bodyguard fighting with The Arrow would be highly suspicious-were in the club trying to make their way to the men while chaos erupted around them. People were running for the exits while others cowered behind the bar or under tables. The men were tearing apart everything in sight.

Felicity did as Oliver instructed and made sure she enacted the emergency locks. The Foundry was like a fortress. No one could get in or out. Felicity made sure her line of communication with Oliver and Diggle remained intact, though they were much too busy fighting off the intruders to say anything to her.

Her eyes were glued to the screen, following Oliver and Diggle's every move. Each time one of them took a hit it was like Felicity was also taking the blow. She kept an eye on the security system sensors. No intruders were registering, and the men in the club didn't seem to be heading in the direction of the Foundry. It was more likely that the club was targeted because it belonged to Oliver.

Two men were on Oliver at once. He kicked out at one and stabbed the other with something in his hand. It was probably one of his tranq arrows, but it seemed to do little to stop the man. Oliver readied his bow and shot the two men. These weren't his regular arrows. They exploded and sent both men flying off their feet. Diggle shot another attacker in the knee. He fell to the ground clutching it.

"Oliver, the SCPD are almost here," she told him through the comm.

"All right. We'll head back down." As they were making their way out, two more men cornered them in the hallway near Oliver's office.

Oliver and Diggle were quick to recover, fighting back to back. A minute later, Oliver's guy had grabbed him and swung him into the wall. Felicity felt like her stomach was in her throat as she watched Oliver struggle to throw him off. The man was punching him in the abdomen over and over again until finally Oliver was able to block him and turn the tables. He shoved his attacker's head into the wall, which created a large hole. A few more punches to the head and the man was out cold. Releasing another explosive arrow, Oliver was able to free up Dig from his own attacker.

"Felicity, you can open the door now," he said once they'd made it to the hidden entrance.

Felicity turned off the emergency lockdown system and opened the door for them. She already had the first-aid kit out. Diggle took off his mask to reveal a busted lip and a large bruise forming on his cheek. Oliver pulled back his hood and took off his mask but not without a hiss from the movement. She needed to see his stomach and how much damage had been done. Looking between the two, Felicity wasn't sure where to start.

Noticing her torn expression, Diggle discretely motioned to Oliver. Felicity offered him a small smile and handed him one of the alcohol pads for his lip before approaching Oliver. "Are you okay? Is anything broken? Let me see your stomach."

"I'm fine, Felicity."

"No, you're not. I saw all the hits you took. Now let me see." It was her turn to give the orders and be stubborn. Felicity refused to let Oliver hide behind his tough guy act. She went to undo his jacket and was relieved when he didn't stop her. An involuntary gasp escaped her when she saw the angry bruises starting to form. "I'll get you an icepack." She ran her fingers over them lightly, though he still flinched. "Make that three," she amended and set off to fetch them.

"The police are upstairs and taking the men into custody," Diggle said while watching the monitors. "They got one of those military-grade trucks."

"That should hold them at least." He took an icepack from Felicity before sitting down in his chair. Oliver leaned back as Felicity positioned the other two icepacks against his bruises.

"They weren't here because of the Foundry. No one tried to break in. I think they targeted Verdant because it's your club."

"There's at least that," Oliver sighed and then flinched in pain. "Damn, they were strong. I haven't seen that since..."

"Since when?" Felicity asked.

Oliver shook his head. "Nevermind. It doesn't matter. This is something different."

Despite not saying much, Felicity knew that whatever Oliver was about to reveal had to do with his time on the island. He was still very sensitive about sharing what happened while he was there. Felicity let it drop and instead replied, "You were still able to stop them."

"Barely. Short of a kill shot, they're relentless."

"They're machines," Diggle agreed. "It's like the pain doesn't quite register."

"With the nanotech, they practically are machines," Felicity declared just as an idea popped into her head. "Oh my God. That's it!"

Confused, Oliver inquired, "What's it?"

Felicity rushed back to her workstation and pulled up the file she'd saved when they'd retrieved Ronsen's phone. "Nanomites are mini computers. Whatever the size, computers are what I know best."

"That's the Brother Eye message."

"More specifically, this is the one that programmed Ronsen."

"Why are you looking at that?"

"There may not be a way to reverse the effects of the performance enhancers, but I might be able to reprogram the nanotech."

"How?" Oliver questioned, taking in the way her beautiful face lit up when she was on the verge of solving a pressing problem.

"I'm going to figure out how to decode this message and reverse engineer it."

"How long is that going to take?"

"All night-if I'm lucky."

"So you're going to need a lot of coffee then." He kissed the crown of her head and beamed with pride. She would figure it out. He had complete faith in her.

"I also wouldn't mind some more of those Chinese dumplings. Got to keep up my strength."

Oliver's phone rang. "It's Detective Lance." He was dreading this call. They'd already had enough awkward conversations to last a lifetime, and it just kept getting worse with each new incident.

"You better take it."

Oliver grumbled a reply before going off to the side to accept the call. He was rubbing the bridge of his nose in that tense way of his as he pretended to know nothing about the incident.

"I'll make a coffee run as soon as the police clear out," Diggle offered to the blonde.

"You know, you'd make a really great assistant," Felicity suggested. "Maybe you should ask Oliver for that job. It's gotta be a step up from 'black driver.'" Felicity wasn't sure when she'd gained the ability to joke after traumatic events, but it was better than being a ball of nerves. She took it as a positive sign that she was finally adjusting to life on Team Arrow.

Diggle smirked. "To quote a very wise woman, 'Nice try, but no way in hell.'"