A/N: For FF #37 – Trapped! So my other favorite 'ship in the current television line-up is Castle and Beckett – and this is definitely an idea borrowed from an episode of that show.

Wrong Place, Right Time

"You should go, Felicity," Oliver said, his voice tight. "I'll be fine. Digg and Thea are going to get this figured out."

Felicity shook her head and tried to smile. Someone had placed a bomb in their new headquarters – and how did they find it? When Oliver stepped on the pressure plate, of course. What was it with them and explosive devices? "If you're so sure of that then there's no reason for me to go," she said.

There was a flash of panic in his eyes. "We've only got six minutes." His voice dropped a whispered plea. "Please, Felicity."

"Nope," she said, folding her arms across her chest. For the first fifteen minutes she'd managed to stay behind her monitors, hoping she might be able to find some intel that Thea and Digg could use to track down the bomber. But now she stood at the edge of the safe radius Diggle had chalked out on the floor before leaving. It put Oliver just out of her reach – and even if it didn't, they both knew he shouldn't move too much. "If they call, they might need me to do something."

"Felicity!" His shout held genuine anger; he thought she was being foolish. But she could also see the genuine panic in his eyes. It didn't do anything for her own nerves.

She did her best to draw on all of the strength that the last few years had built into her. "I'm not leaving you," she said, proud of how calm and certain her voice sounded. "If the situation were reversed would you leave me?"

He clenched his teeth together so hard she saw a muscle in his jaw twitch. "This is different."

"How is it different?' she said sharply.

"Because it is!" he shouted. "Because you can move on from this – but if I lost you…if you die because of me…." His voice dropped low again, "Please, Felicity, please just get away from me."

"Typical," she said letting out a huff of air. "You're still pushing me away to protect me."

He shook his head and the look he gave her let her know that he thought she'd gone crazy. Maybe she had, their ongoing battle over this issue was hardly the most important point at the moment. He tried to speak twice and kept stopping, apparently unable to find words. "Fine," he finally said his breath coming out in hard almost choking gasps. "Fine, I am. And you need to let me protect you."

"And you need," she said, feeling tears in her eyes. "To love me enough to let me make my own choices."

He dropped his head to his chest. "I do…I love you...you know I love you." He looked back up and now there were tears in his eyes. The sight hurt her so much she wondered if she'd split apart whether the bomb went off or not.

His voice was absolutely broken when he spoke again. "You told me I was a hero, Felicity. So make the choice that lets me be a hero one last time. Choose to let me save you. If you never do another thing for me, Felicity, do this."

The words dug her way into her heart, and she realized that if these were their last moments and she could give him anything he wanted…

He must have seen her hesitation and went in for the kill shot, using her own words against her. "If the situation were reversed what would you want me to do?"

She let out a sob. How could she do this? How could she leave him behind to die alone?

"Take care of Thea. Take care of John." Oliver said, his words gentle now. "Remember that I've never been happier…"

A voice broke over the speakers on Felicity's computers – Diggle's voice. "We've got it! We've got it! Check the timer – has it stopped?"

Felicity's eyes flashed to her monitor where they'd rigged a cell phone camera to give them a picture of the bomb under the floorboard. The timer had indeed stopped. She rushed to grab her headset, "Yes, it's stopped. Are you sure it's safe?"

"As sure as I can be," John said, his voice still laced with worry.

Felicity's eyes flipped back to Oliver's face.

"Meet you upstairs?" he said hopefully, taking a deep breath.

"Not a chance in hell," she said slowly.

He gave her a smile that was full of both exasperation and adoration and closed his eyes tight. She held her breath as he lifted his foot and stepped off of the pressure plate.

There was two wonderfully normal thumps, as first one booted foot and then another landed safely, and quietly, on the floor.

"He's off!" she exclaimed into her headset, running toward Oliver. He caught her in his arms and she held on to him so tightly she figured his body armor was going to have her fingerprints carved into it. She could feel him shaking under her hands and she pulled back. "Are you okay?"

Pulling back he put his hands on either side of his face. "Yeah, yeah – just no more bombs or landmines, okay?"

Felicity titled her head. "I don't know…the first one wasn't that bad."

Letting out a relieved laugh he kissed her soundly on the mouth. "You are more than a little crazy aren't you?"

"And you love it," she said.

His thumbs traced back and forth over her cheekbones. "I do…I really do."