A/N: I'm going to try my hand at shorter chapters in the hopes that I will be able to post more frequently.
Felicity was relieved when she finally got off work.
She hated working at Tech Village but never more so than today.
Having had Roy bodyguarding her all day Felicity just wanted to go home and forget everything else.
But she couldn't. She had to into the foundry. There was work to be done if they were going to catch her killer.
She needed that. She needed her life to go back to the way it was. Before she had an ax hanging over her head.
And not only that Oliver, future Oliver needed to get back home but he could only do that once they saved her and she wanted to help him.
He was affected by her death more than she thought possible and if she could take away his pain she would do anything she could.
Oliver has been through so much already, she didn't want more pain, more loss for him.
She wanted him happy. Was that too much to ask?
All she wanted was for him to have one happy story and if he believed that her being in his life, having his girl Wednesday at his side than who was she to argue. She loved being the one he relied on.
And honestly, it would be great not to have to make up stupid excuses about why she needed a bodyguard shadowing her every move.
Felicity bounded down the steps of the foundry tuning out Roy's complaints about her car being too small.
"Don't be a baby, Scarecrow. Stretch and roll those muscles and you'll be fine. I'm sure, it's nothing more than a bad kink."
"You're too short, you wouldn't understand. That car was meant for tiny people like yourself." Roy retorted.
"She's perfect just the way she is." Future Oliver's voice sounded.
Felicity looked up to see him approaching with her Oliver and John. All three men were covered in sweat, shirtless as they walked off the training mats.
Felicity thought it almost strange how she could immediately notice the difference between the two, even in their voices.
Future Oliver, when he talks to her, there was nothing but vulnerability and hope in his voice. Just looking at them, she could tell them apart. Her Oliver held himself at a distance while the future Oliver seemed like he couldn't get close enough.
They were the same man, same looks, same voice yet she could tell them apart in an instant.
"How was work?" her Oliver asked.
"It was soul-sucking, is what it was." She continued, setting her purse down and moving toward her computers.
"Were there any attacks?" Oliver continued.
"I would have called if there had been," Roy told him.
Felicity deflated, looking at present Oliver. "I thought you were asking about my day."
Future Oliver set his hand on her shoulder. "You can tell me about your day."
Felicity looked up into his eyes and the intensity she found had her breath catching in her throat. She reached up with her hand and squeezed his in thanks.
Present Oliver's eyes shot to their hands and his eyes narrowed. He placed his hand on her lower back and urged her to sit in her chair. "You should check on your searches make sure they're still running."
Oliver wanted to get Felicity away from his future self, he didn't like the way he looked at her or the way she stared at him with the softest of looks. Why didn't she look at him like that? They were basically the same person.
"Of course, my searches or still running unless someone went messing with my babies when they should keep far away from them." Felicity sat down in her chair, her fingers moving over the keys.
"Have your searches located are target yet?" John asked, moving behind her.
"No," Felicity shook her head. "Not yet but once we find him, you guys do your thing and we'll turn him into SCPD." Felicity's brow furrowed though. "Though they'll need a reason to keep him detained indefinitely."
There was a quietness behind her that she wasn't used to.
She turned and saw John staring at her his arms crossed, Roy had a dark expression and the two Oliver's seemed to be sharing a silent conversation as they stared at one another coming to some sort of silent agreement.
"Am I missing something?" Felicity asked, looking between the two Olivers's.
"Felicity, we need to find your killer before he kills you," John told her.
"I know that John,"
"You don't understand," Roy interjected. "We're not going to give him the chance to kill you."
"I know which is why we will be putting him behind bars."
"Felicity, we're not handing him over to the police." Her Oliver told her slowly.
"What are you talking about?" Felicity knew what her team was saying but she couldn't believe they were all willing to cross that line for her.
"He has to die, Felicity." Future Oliver's eyes were hard, his lips curved into a grim line. "I won't take the chance that he'll get to you. The only way to eliminate the threat to your life is to end his first."
Felicity stood up. "We don't kill," She took a step toward both Oliver's, her left hand took her Oliver's hand in hers and her right hand took future Oliver's hand in hers. "You made a vow, a promise to Tommy, to honor his memory that you wouldn't kill. And it's not who either of you are. You're not a killer. I don't want you to break it for me. Not again."
John and Roy silently excused themselves, giving them some space.
"Too late." Future Oliver said, eyes dark.
"What?" Felicity's hand fell away from both of theirs as future Oliver sent his future self a look.
Her Oliver looked back at her a moment. "It's not a choice when it comes to your life."
Felicity shook her head. "You only kill when necessary." she looked at future Oliver. "You didn't have a choice right?"
"I did and I chose to kill him and I still would have made the same choice." Future Oliver said.
Felicity turned away, needing a moment.
Oliver killed for her again. He killed for her when the Count held her hostage and now he did again.
He always made it a point to honor Tommy by not killing but when it came to her it was like none of that mattered.
She was quickly finding a pattern.
For Oliver, she was a line that could not be crossed, or else Oliver got Arrow happy.
It wasn't a good thing.
He couldn't kill every time she was in danger. Not in their line of work because if he did there would be a string of bodies all over Starling city with the amount of trouble she tended to find.
When she turned back around, her Oliver had wandered over to Roy and Digg leaving her alone with his future self.
"When did you... was it right before you came here?"
"I don't want to talk about it," Oliver reply was abrupt.
Felicity felt like he was closing a part of himself from her off and it hurt. "Okay,"
Oliver stepped forward, his hand coming to rest on the side of her neck. "I don't want to talk about it here. I'll answer any questions you have when we're alone but I rather not talk about the worst time in my life with an audience.
The worst time of his life? He couldn't possibly be including his time on the island.
There was no way her death could compare to the torture he went through on Lian Yu. It just wasn't possible and yet. Future Oliver had never looked more haunted then when he talked about losing her.
"Okay," she said finally. "We'll talk later then."
Later when she had time to be alone with him and be able to process what he told her without being on constant watch by her team.
"Alright," she turned away from him addressing the rest of the team as they discreetly watch her from the training mats. "Who wants food from Big Belly Burger?"
"I do," Roy said, picking up a bow, intending to get some practice in. "I'm starving!"
"Great, I'll go get everyone some food while my searches run." Felicity scooped her purse back up.
"You can't go alone," her Oliver interjected stepping forward.
"I'll go with her," future Oliver was already pulling on his shirt and looked at his younger self. "You stay here and train with Digg."
"I can go," Oliver interjected, bristling as being told what to do even by his future self. Especially by his future self.
"There can't be two Oliver Queen's out in public." Future Oliver argued, his hand moving to hover at Felicity's lower back.
"He's right," said John. "Besides, he's the only one who has dealt with our enemy. He's the best person to be looking out for her.
"Don't worry, I've got Felicity." Future Oliver said.
That's what worried present Oliver. He could see the way Felicity was looking at his future self and hurt to see her looking at someone like that.
Someone that wasn't him.
Felicity didn't like being discussed like she wasn't there but she did enjoy Oliver's protectiveness. It made her feel special and like she mattered to him in a way she didn't believe was possible until now.
She smiled at future Oliver and allowed him to usher her up the steps of the foundry, a soft look in her luminous blue eyes.
Oliver watches them go, his stomach tearing up in knots with a familiar emotion that he was starting to associate with Felicity.
The same feeling he got when he saw her with Barry, the same emotion he felt every time he saw his future self with her.
Her smiles had always been for him, that soft adoring look in her eyes pointed his way was a light in the dark recess of his mind and now he wasn't the one receiving that look.
It sent his emotions reeling to see her looking at someone who wasn't him.
Barry was nothing, his jealousy then was more petty than anything else.
That wasn't the case when it came to his future self.
This time it was serious, he felt like his future self was slowly stealing her away and it was tangling him up inside.
He needed it to stop. He wasn't sure how much he could take.
A possessiveness unlike anything he ever felt before was building up inside him and he wasn't sure how much more he could stomach seeing them together.
He was looking at everything he ever wanted but was standing on the outside looking in.
It was harder than he imagined it would be to see Felicity with someone who was not him and he hated it.