A/N: Hey! So, as promised, a new chapter. And this time it didn't even take too long. Next chap will probably be the last one and then maybe I'll write an epilogue. Not sure about that. Anyways, enjoy!

Felicity ran to the door excitedly and jumped on Bruce's arms as soon as she saw him repeating, "You're here! You're here! You're here!"

He chuckled and kissed her deeply and when they parted the smile hadn't left his lips. "I'm guessing you're happy I'm here."

"Very!" she confirmed with wide delighted eyes. "It's been so long! I mean, I know it's been two weeks but two weeks is a very long time! Specially when you are in Gotham and I'm here. Somehow two weeks feel like ten. At least. Which is so unfair because when I was in Gotham for a week it felt like it had been just a weekend. It's like time isn't making sense anymore!" she exclaimed.

He kissed softly for a second, "I missed you too. And I also missed your rambling."

She huffed, "I think you're the only person in the world that feels that way."

"I think it makes you even more adorable. And it shows how sincere and open you are which are some of your best qualities."

"And that's why we're not leaving this apartment unless absolutely necessary," she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

He ran a hand though her hair but kept looking her in the eye, "Actually, I'm going to spend the day tomorrow at the hotel. I'll have to do some light work and since you won't be here anyway I think it's better to work from there. But I'll drop you at work, we'll have lunch together and I'll pick you up when you're done. I'm not spending a moment away from you if I can help it."

"Well, in that case, let's spend some time catching up in the bedroom. How about that?"

"That is an excellent ideal," he grinned, pushing her back towards her room.

Just as promised Bruce had breakfast with Felicity in her apartment before taking her to work and going to the same suite he had stayed at a month ago. He knew Felicity would be fine with him staying at her place but he preferred to work from the hotel keep business and personal life separated. So when he heard a knock on the door he thought it would be someone bringing some complimentary snack or offering their services if needed.

But when Bruce opened his hotel door he found Oliver standing in front of him. He was surprised for a moment but it soon disappears; if Oliver couldn't find where a well known businessman was staying in his city then he couldn't be a vigilante. Bruce opened the door wider in a silent invitation for the other man to come in and he did.

"Do you have any idea of what you are doing?" Oliver asked and Bruce quietly thought that not only he really wasn't one to beat around the bush but he was slightly rude not to even greet him.

"I imagine you are talking about Felicity," Bruce said as he sat down.

"You're putting her in danger. You are a vigilante. If you get to close to her, if you date her, you're putting her in danger."

Bruce looked at him oddly, as if confused, "Felicity told me about the bullet she took while working for you."

"Exactly!" Oliver yelled as if it proved his point.

"She took a bullet while working for you. The fact that you weren't dating didn't stop her from getting hurt," he paused for a moment. "From what I gather the fact that you were dating someone else only hurt her even more."

Oliver shook his head. "You have no idea what you are talking about". Then he paused and frowned, "Are you saying it wouldn't have made a difference if I was dating her or not?"

"I'm saying that from the moment she started working with your team she was in danger. No matter if you dated her or not she would still be in danger. But since she was in danger anyway, if you kept her closer to you you had a better chance of protecting her. By pushing her away you only made her a target that was even more unprotected."

Oliver's jaw clenched and his hands closed into fists. He knew he couldn't punch Bruce. Or at least he really shouldn't since he was now dating Felicity. But the man on front of him had some nerve to say what he did. "You're only thinking about yourself. You have to do what is best for Felicity."

Bruce tilted his head to the side with a knowing smile, "And what is best for Felicity?" he asked but before Oliver could answer he continued, "Well, to know that I guess I should ask her right? I mean, it would be very overbearing to think I know what is best of her without actually consulting her."

"She doesn't understand how this-" Oliver cut himself off and shook his head, "Felicity is amazing and cheerful and optimistic. She wouldn't see how a relationship with someone like us would ruin her."

Bruce sighed and stood up, deciding the conversation had lasted long enough, "Look Oliver I don't care what you think of her or our relationship. I put my cards on the table and I reminded her of all the risks she would be taking. I told her she was too good to me. But when she made her choice I respected it because I respect her. It's easy to say she is amazing and then belittle her choice. I'm not blind to how bad things can go but I also don't pretend to know better than her. You chose to let her go and, to be honest, I'm thankful for that. But now you can't come here and try to make me break up with her. And I'm gonna be with her for as long as she will have me," he told Oliver as he looked him in the eye. "So I think you should go now," he continued as he walked to the door and opened it in a silent invitation.

Oliver stared at Bruce with rage but walked out without another word, promising himself this wouldn't be the end of it.

"You went to talk to Bruce about my relationship with him?!" Felicity screamed as she climbed down the stairs quickly until she was in front of Oliver and pushed him back hard. "Who the hell do you think you are?!" she screamed again in her high voice and he could see just how angry she was.

He looked to the right where Diggle and Roy stood and though both were still shocked by what was happening they shook their heads lightly and stepped back in a clear sign they wouldn't get in the middle of it.

He sighed and opened his mouth to speak, "Look-"

But she didn't let him continue, pushing him back again, "What's wrong with you? You enjoy being miserable? Fine by me! I'm so over you! But you try to make me miserable?!" She huffed pushing him again, "I'm not gonna let that happen!"

He sighed again, "I just talked to him. I though he should consider some thing before screwing up your life."

"Screwing up my life?!" she repeated in an ever higher tone while pushing a finger into his chest in accusation. "You're screwing up my life!" She sighed but didn't calm down, "Damnit Oliver! You've strung me along and made me feel depressed and unworthy and just plain miserable and now that this amazing guy who looks so much like prince charming it's scary and loves me and looks at me like I'm the most amazing woman in the world comes along and makes me the happiest I've ever been… Then you want to 'save me' from that?!"

She glared at him and repeated, "So again: What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Felicity, things could go wrong…"

"No kidding, Sherlock. Haven't you seen everything that has gone wrong since I joined team Arrow? But what matter is that things can go right! That me and Bruce love each other and make each other happy!"

He shook his head, "Real prince charming by the way. Couldn't wait to go telling on me."

She looked icily at him, "He talks to me; he doesn't hide things from me. It's called a relationship. Of course you'd know nothing about that."

"That's not fair. And it was a low blow."

She looked at him with no guilt, "Low blow? Maybe. Fair? Definitely." She took a deep breath and stared him in the eye, "Pay attention because I won't forgive you on this. I don't want you to ever talk to Bruce again if I'm not present. If you ever try to make Bruce end things with me again, I swear to God, I'll make you regret ever leaving that island."

With a sigh Felicity turned around and walked to her computers deciding she would just set to get the information Oliver had asked earlier and then she would leave to spend the rest of night with Bruce.

Oliver turned to the other side walking to the matts and Diggle followed knowing his friend needed to blow off some steam. His situation with Felicity was just getting worse and Diggle worried about how bad it could really get. But he also knew better than to talk to Oliver about it. His friend still hadn't learnt to listen to others and there was nothing he could do about that.

Roy went after Felicity and stood next to her with a cautious look, "Can I sit or you'd rather be alone right now?"

Felicity looked up at him and gave him a small smile, "You can sit. It's not you I'm mad at."

Roy quickly sat down returning her smile, "I just wanted to check on you. I know you were excited about this weekend and now this happened…"

"I'm fine. I'll just check some stuff quickly and then I'm off for the rest of the weekend."

"Good," he squeezed her shoulder and was about to stand up when Felicity stopped him.

"What about you? You don't look too good."

Roy shrugged and looked to the side.

"Is something wrong? Is it Thea?"

Roy sighed before looking back at Felicity. "Things are great with Thea. But not so great with Oliver. He is making things harder than they should for me; here and at the club. I know he will eventually have to get over it but right now-" he trailed off then continued. "And now Thea wants to study fashion; which is great, except she doesn't want to go to school in Starling. She says she wants to do her own thing and she feels like Starling holds her back but I think it has more to do with her family than anything. The thing is I don't know what I would do anywhere else; I don't know how I'd be able to get a job anywhere with my record and besides that I feel like I have a purpose with Team Arrow. I can't stop doing that, you know? But I want to give Thea what she wants and she says she won't go anywhere without me."

Felicity raised her eyebrows, "Wow. You really needed to talk, huh?"

Roy scratched the back of his head, "Sorry; didn't mean to lay it all out on you."

She gave him an honest smile, "It's fine. I'm here for you. So, you want some advice?"

He nodded quickly, "Definitely."

"Follow your heart." At his annoyed look and scoff she continued, "I know it sounds cheese but it's the best advice, really. You have to ask yourself what makes you happier: Thea or your work with Team Arrow?" The answer was very clear in his eyes and she gave him a half hug knowing what he had decided, "I know things are very uncertain right now but I'm sure it'll all work out so don't overthink it and don't worry too much, okay?"

He hugged her back, "Yeah, sure thing, Blondie. And thank you. For listening and for the advice."

"Anytime," she told him, messing with his hair, "And now I have to go back to work," she told him turning back to her computer. The sooner she was done the sooner she'd be with Bruce.

They had been at the charity ball for at least a couple of hours and Felicity could only sigh and try to discreetly stretch her feet to stop the boredom and pain her shoes were causing her. Bruce had told her before they left her apartment that they would stay for as long as she wished and if she could just do that they probably wouldn't have left her home at all.

But there was something bigger at stake; Bruce could help the charity, not only by giving the example and making a big donation but also talking his "friends" into doing the same.

So Felicity had spent the last two hours being introduced to the one percent and making small talk to people she had nothing in common with as Bruce charmingly persuaded the rich people in Starling into opening their wallets for the good cause.

Felicity aimlessly looked around until she noticed a couple approaching. She quietly whispered to Bruce, "Hey, that couple looks rich. Do you think you can sweet talk them?" she asked conspiratorially.

She was surprised when he didn't immediately answer and a moment later the couple was in front of them, greeting Bruce warmly and also Felicity once he introduced them. Everyone Bruce had introduced her to had greeted her almost the same way, except no one had seemed sincere until the couple in front of her.

The older woman touched his arm with a smile, "Bruce, it's so nice to see you! It's bee so long since we last saw each other."

Bruce gave her a tight smile, that she thought was heartfelt but laced with pain, "Catherine, always so nice to see you."

"And it's also very nice to meet you Felicity, of course," the woman turned to Felicity and for once Felicity didn't feel like she was being looked down by one of Bruce's acquaintances, so she smiled back.

"Bruce, quite a check you made. And a public donation as well. Haven't seen you do something like that in a while. From what I've heard you prefer to donate anonymously," a man who was obviously Catherine's husband said as he put an arm around his wife.

Bruce nodded briefly, "Yes, well, Felicity is very passionate about the cause and convinced me to make a public donation in the hopes others would follow."

The couple turned to Felicity with impressed expressions and the man raised a glass of champagne in a congratulating motion towards Felicity, "Very well. We'll follow your example. We'll donate the same amount publicly. Hopefully others will do the same."

"It's such a nice initiative, Felicity! It reminds of Martha. She was always so concerned about helping others, after all that's why she created Wayne's Foundation."

Felicity knew that Bruce's mom was called Martha but they had never talked about it. She had gathered from a couple of conversation with Bruce and Alfred's not so subtle hints that Bruce was never the same after his parents were murdered and that's what led him into turning into Batam; but Bruce had never actually talked about his parents so the mention of Martha made Felicity nervous and unsure.

At Felicity's obvious surprise and confusion, Bruce pulled her close explaining, "Catherine was one of my mom's closest friends. They worked in charity together. Actually, Catherine is still very involved in Wayne's Foundation."

Catherine sighed heavily, "We were all such close friends and Martha was always so generous. I feel working in Wayne's Foundation is a way to honor her and at the same time be close to her," she paused. "Felicity, it would be a joy to have you join us!"

"Oh, I don't know about that," Felicity said as she stole a glance at Bruce.

Catherine seemed to understand the problem and gave her a knowing smile, "Talk to Bruce and then give me a call. I'm sure he won't have any objection to it."

Before things could get awkward Catherine turned to Bruce with a kind smile. "I'm sure your parents would be very proud of you and very happy that you found a woman who seems to have her heart in the right place," Catherine petted Bruce's shoulder then turned so Felicity was included in the conversation. "We'd love to have you for dinner some time soon. It's been too long and Bruce, you're family. And now, so are you Felicity, it seems."

Bruce seemed contrite and unsure so Felicity stepped in, "It'll be a pleasure. I'm sure Bruce will love to get closer to you both again."

The couple smiled politely knowing by Bruce's expression that it might not be quite true but nodded all the same and walked away.

Once the couple was out of ear short Felicity turned to Bruce with huge eyes, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to cause any trouble. And I won't work on your mother's Foundation, obviously. And you don't have to have dinner with them if you don't want to. Though they seem really nice and like they care about you. But of course, I know nothing about them or your relationship with them or your parents-"

At that Bruce turned to look at her and she suddenly stopped talking. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have mentioned them. If you want to leave, it's fine. I'm good to go. Or you can leave by yourself if you feel like being alone. I might not have been the best company tonight after all."

Bruce sighed and took Felicity's hands in his, "I just haven't talked to them in a long time and yes, they were very close to my parents and it just brings me memories from so long ago." He paused for a moment, "It's not bad; just unexpected. But I would like for us to have dinner with them. I'm sure they would like to get to know you better. They were probably my parents' best friends… "

"Then I'd love to have dinner with them, too," she told him with a big smile that he returned.

And just like that they were good again; and half an hour later they were on their way back to Felicity's apartment to have some quality time alone.

Felicity ran a diagnostic on her computers in the lair as she heard the guys grumbling and fighting behind her. She didn't pay them any attention, just looked at the screens in front of her as she daydreamed about the weekend she had spent with Bruce.

It was Tuesday night, barely two days since he left Starling and she couldn't believe just how much she missed him. It was even worse then when she came back to Starling after spending a week in Gotham. Things were getting really serious really fast and to be honest she was scared out of her mind. She was afraid it was too good to be true and the other shoe would drop at any moment.

Hey phone rang and she frowned not recognising the number, just Gotham's city code.

"Hello," she greeted wearily.

"Good evening, Miss Smoke."

Felicity instantly smiled and answered, "Alfred, I've already told you to call me Felicity," then she paused realising Alfred wouldn't call her for no reason. "Is everything alright?"

"Well, I thought you'd like to know that Master Bruce was shot tonight."

"What?!" she asked in her very high voice that made the vigilantes behind her stop fighting to approach her.

"It's nothing serious," Alfred was quick to add. "Actually Master Bruce insisted on telling you himself tomorrow morning but I thought prudent not to wait. It would be a lot worse if you learned it from the news."

"How not serious is it?" she questioned with heaviness in her tone.

"A bullet to the should and another to the back. Didn't hit any organs nor broke any bones. I've already took care of it and gave him some painkillers that will knock him down until tomorrow afternoon at least. He just needs to rest and keep things light for a few days."

Felicity sighed, relieved even though she was still obviously distraught. She took a deep breath trying to think think rationally.

"Alfred, do you have Wayne's jet laying around in Starling by any chance?"

Alfred almost chuckled, "No, Miss Felicity. Unfortunately, it's in Gotham right now."

She stayed quiet for a moment then suddenly turned around, "Oliver, is the Queen's jet in Starling right now?"

Oliver blinked, having a vague idea that something had happened in Gotham but still not sure what. "Well, yeah, but-"

"I need to borrow it," she told him bluntly as she gathered her things throwing them in her purse hastily.

"Felicity, what is going on?"

"Bruce was shot. I need to go to Gotham now."

Oliver stepped closer resting a hand on her shoulder, "Felicity calm down. If you want the jet you can have it but don't you think-"

She suddenly was staring hard at him, "Don't even think about finishing that sentence". She sighed again, trying to calm down, "Just have the jet ready, ok? I'm going straight to the air strip so I should be there in a little over half an hour."

He just nodded and let her go.

She put the phone back to her ear, having completely forgotten about Alfred for a moment, "Oliver is letting me borrow the jet. I'll be there in a few hours. If anything changes call me. I mean it. Even if he rolls over in bed I want to know." Felicity knew she was being irrational and maybe even a little bossy, which she really shouldn't be since Alfred had no obligation to listen to her.

But to her surprised he seemed amused and somewhat proud when he answered, "I'll call you if anything happens. But I'm sure everything will be just fine."

"Good, that's good, I guess," were the last word the man in the lair heard as she quickly climbed the stair and left the club.

A/N: Please review!