Author's Note: The song most of us know says "calling birds" but that was changed when the poem was set to the one piece of music. It used to be "colly birds" and that worked better with this story. Enjoy!

12 Days of Christmas

Day 4

Four Colly Birds

"On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me – four colly birds."

Colly birds are black birds – known as fierce protectors of their territory and the keepers of secrets.

"Hey, Blondie!"

Felicity turned and gave Roy a quick grin as he came down the stairs. Her eyes gave him a quick once over which he bore with amused patience. "I wasn't sure if I'd be seeing you tonight," she told him. "I thought you might be working upstairs again."

"Thea's there," he said as he shook his head. Her eyes shot over to the monitor, watching until she spotted the younger woman. A bit of anxiety wriggled into her mind and he leaned over to tap her on the nose with a gentle finger. "She's fine," he told her. "I checked it out. Nothing odd."

"I hope it stays that way," she sighed.

Roy's eyes narrowed, glancing from her to the monitor before he shifted between her and the screen. "So, the fearless leader asked me to drop this off with you," he told her, reaching into his bag. He pulled out a box, larger than the previous days. A gold ribbon set off red paper and her smile grew as she reached for it. Roy handed it to her, curiosity clear in the line of his face. He leaned on the desk. "Christmas was last week."

She gave him a grin. "Oliver decided to celebrate the full Christmas season," she replied. "All twelve days."

"You're getting a gift a day for twelve days?" He shook his head. "I can't decide if I'm disturbed by the sappiness or….nope, I'm pretty sure I'm disturb. Can you guys be any more…cute?"

"Thanks, Roy, really." She rolled her eyes, but turned away to peer at the bow. Nestled in its heart she found the charm. "Four calling birds," she told her one man audience as she pulled it loose. Taking a moment, she fastened it to her bracelet. "Or, if you go with the older version, four colly birds."

Roy caught her hand and pulled it up to have a look at the piece of jewelry. She let him do it, an indulgent smile resting on her lips. He chuckled. "I am never going to let him live this down."

"You leave him alone," Felicity replied. "I like him this way."

"I'll bet."

Giving him a gentle shrug, she turned back to her gift. Excitement grew within her, more for tonight's note than the actual gift. Oliver often forgot to use his words – not that she always needed him to, though it was better when he did – but his notes showed a depth most people never got to see. She hesitated for a moment, wondering about opening it with Roy there, but then decided he couldn't be too concerned or he would have found some other way to leave it for her. Pulling off the wrapping paper and lifting the top, she found a folded note on top of a simple box made of a reddish wood.

"Felicity – the dragon has long been a symbol of power and the energy of life, but more importantly the dragon stands as a guardian – of people, places, and secrets. So you have been for me and so I shall ever be for you."

"Yep, too damn cute." Roy's voice startled her and she blinked back the tears trying to well up – good tears, but she figured it wouldn't be a great way of dealing with the macho guy beside her. Her guys always got weird about crying.

"Shut up, Bratling," she teased, nudging him with an elbow. She lifted out the wooden box, a little surprised by its plainness and yet captivated by the beauty of the grain. It took a moment to work the lid off of the box. Then she saw it…and her breath caught. A beautiful spiral of gold lay against the dark green velvet cloth lining. Intricate metal work studded with small gemstones formed a gorgeous design centered on two golden dragons. "Oh, my God," Felicity breathed out. "Do I wear this or display it?"

"Or lock it up?" Roy pointed out.

She glanced over and found him frowning at it. "Roy?" she prompted.

"No offense, Blondie, but that's a nice chunk of cash waiting for someone to take," he replied as he moved back to lean on the desk once more. He folded his arms over his chest. "I'm all for the big guy getting his head on straight about you, but that's…that's crazy. You'd have to have guards with you if you wear that in public."

She didn't get a chance to reply before a beep drew her attention. It was her computer alerting her. "What's this?" she murmured, turning to her babies. She tapped a few keys and pulled up her email. "It's from Captain Lance."

"Yeah? What's he got?"

"An update on the drug," she told him, voice growing a little absent-minded as she read through it.

"Oliver mentioned it," Roy noted. "Nasty sounding stuff."

"Why do you think I wanted you out of the club, hmm?" She gave him a dark look.

His hands came up in surrender. "Hey, hey, somebody had to be there!"

"I don't like it," she pouted. "It's dangerous."

"Felicity," Roy sighed. "I can't just hide."

Her mouth opened even though she had no idea what she might be about to say. The sound of the door opening cut her off and her jaw snapped shut. She gave Roy a look of frustrated understanding and he gave her a quick one-armed, side hug before moving away as steps began sounding on the stairs.

"What have we got?" Oliver asked as he came into view with Dig following him.

Roy lifted a brow. "You mean aside from the king's ransom sitting on Blondie's desk?"

"Hey!" Felicity frowned at him.

"I'm just saying!"

Oliver sighed. "About the drug?"

Roy rolled his eyes, but Felicity poked him in the side. She turned to the other two. "I got an email from Captain Lance," she told them. "They've confirmed the drug is airborne, released into the air somehow where it…" Her voice trailed off. "I know it affects them, but the way it works…I keep wanting to say it infects them. It's like it flips a switch in their brain – from civilized to…to…"

"Madness," Dig added in his quiet voice.

"Yes." She shuddered.

Oliver moved to her side, one hand coming to rest on her shoulder. "We're going to stop them," he told her. His voice held no wavering, no doubt at all.

It gave her a boost and she felt the smile slip back on her face. "Right," she nodded, taking a deep breath. "Right," she repeated. "Well, there's a little good news. According to the email, if fresh air gets introduced, it disperses the drug pretty quickly…possibly saving some lives."

"Good to know." Oliver rubbed his chin, leaning against the desk beside her.

"If we can figure out the next target," Dig pointed out.

"Least we know," Roy commented. He moved towards the training area. Dig lifted a brow, but followed him, leaving Oliver and Felicity alone.

She turned to look up at him and placing her hand on his arm. "Oliver?"

"We're playing catch up," he muttered, taking her hand in his. His thumb rubbed along her knuckles. "We still don't have a lead on the chemist – and that's what we need to put a stop to it before the next target gets hit." He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of her fingers. "We will stop them…it's just a matter of when."

Felicity stood up and stepped in close. Oliver's arm went around her waist and she curled into his side, resting her head on his shoulder. "We'll find them," she murmured. "I know we can't stop everything bad, but I know we'll stop this."

"That's my girl," he replied, his lips brushing across her temple. His free hand reached over to the desk and picked up the bracelet. She reached for it, but he twisted his hold just enough to slide it over her hand and onto her arm. "Perfect."

"What would I even wear this with?" she giggled, her voice still low, but now a sense of entertainment crept in. Her eyes traced the piece of jewelry, noting how it curved from the edge of her wrist and spiraled up her arm towards her elbow.

"Something big," he informed her. "Big, splashy, and all over the media."

Her eyebrows went up. "So…the next QC party then."

"Maybe…with the right dress."

"Hmm," she thought about it, pretending to be serious. "Red," she decided. "A red dress with short sleeves and a short skirt, gold high heels, and a Mandarin collar." She gave a decisive nod. "That would work."

His eyes flickered and darkened as he looked down at her. "It would," he agreed and then bent his head towards her. His lips brushed against hers before moving closer to deepen the contact.

"You still have an audience!"

They pulled apart, both of them sending a glare at Roy.

Felicity frowned. "Seriously?"

Dig leaned against the wall and shook his head.

"Hey," Roy smirked. "I'm just saying."

Oliver sighed and focused on him. "Stop."