Chemistry

A/N: I am finally able to update this fic. This one is a roller coaster ride. It's told from both Oliver's and Felicity's POVs. Enjoy! Happy New Year, everyone!

Summary: There are confessions and revelations. Sparks fly. And more.

Chapter Four

Last week the cast and crew began shooting for season two of When Home Calls the Heart. They were just about done filming the first episode, which was again being directed by Lyla Michaels. Oliver and Felicity were in almost all of the scenes, which meant they'd been on set for at least twelve hours straight almost every day. Needless to say, they were physically tired.

But neither of them did mind. Oliver was practically beaming every minute that he was in the same space as Felicity, breathing the same air she did. Felicity was no different. It's like seeing each other gave them a renewed surge of energy, an adrenaline boost, supplying them with enough motivation to get through one scene at a time.

Lyla immediately noticed how their on-screen chemistry leveled up, how they even have it off-screen now. She's been having a blast watching them on and off camera, smiling to herself each time she caught them glancing at each other fondly, exchanging jokes, and even flirting in a subtle manner that only personal friends like her might notice on set. Lyla knew that something was definitely up between those two, what with the sparks flying each time they'd made contact through touch or through terms of endearment. Needless to say, Lyla had already spoken with her husband John Diggle about it.

John had visited the set twice in the past few days, and what he'd seen only confirmed Lyla's theory that Oliver and Felicity had crossed the line and were now somewhere between mere friends and more than friends. John had been a little anxious about this recent development, wondering how it would affect Felicity professionally and personally. However, he had always been their silent shipper way back when they'd been together during the Starling Film School days, so he'd decided to give the relationship – whatever the status was at the moment – a chance.

John and Lyla weren't wrong. Something had changed between Oliver and Felicity since they came back from Vegas, for several reasons. First of all, Oliver had instantly won over Donna Smoak with his charm. The older blonde was beyond thrilled when Oliver surprised her with a visit, and she had a heyday teasing them about her being a die-hard fan of Olicity. "You are so, so good together! I knew you were eventually going to find your way back to each other. It's destiny," Donna had told them over dinner at her small apartment. Even with a bald head and a pair of dark circles beneath her eyes, Felicity's mom somehow glowed, no doubt because of the pure, unadulterated joy that her daughter's and Oliver's presence had brought her. Felicity was so grateful to Oliver for making her mom happy, and she had thanked him repeatedly by giving him hugs, which he had welcomed each time.

Another factor that accounts for the shift in their relationship was that Oliver and Felicity had been able to spend quality time together while in Vegas. They'd gone out to eat in cognito, in less conspicuous diners and delis, in order to avoid paparazzi. They had lounged around in the Smoaks' apartment, watching some of his movies while feasting on pizza and mint chocolate chip ice cream and laughing about some behind-the-scenes bloopers that he enthusiastically recalled and recounted. They were able to catch up and share stories and other personal stuff, which they had been hesitant to share with each other in the past year because of the limitations of a strictly professional relationship. In other words, they were able to rekindle a meaningful friendship in just two short weeks.

Felicity had felt comfortable telling him about some of the failed first dates she'd gone on in the three years she'd lived with her mom in Vegas – some mildly tolerable, and some quite disastrous and not worth remembering. What had taken her by surprise was learning that like her, Oliver had not been in a relationship since they had broken up.

"You're kidding," she had remarked.

"It's true," he had defended.

"What about that African American actress you starred with on that action-suspense trilogy? What was her name?"

"McKenna Hall? We were never together," he had said, looking straight into her eyes. "That was just a publicity stunt that my agent insisted on to promote the first two movies. Ken and I only agreed to it because we were both just starting in our respective careers. Afterwards, we never got paired in a movie again, and the love team fizzled out. I still got better roles later on without having to be linked with anyone in particular. I told my agent that I'd find someone else to work with if he ever forced me to do something like that again."

"Oh…" Felicity had been quiet, but she hadn't looked away.

She couldn't believe that after all this time – and in spite of his fame, popularity, and much publicized sex appeal – her ex-boyfriend hadn't been in a relationship after she had ended things between them. By the time they had parted ways in Vegas, she still hadn't decided if that piece of information was something she should be happy about or not.

It was a good thing that Oliver had asked to see her in L.A. as soon as he arrived from Starling three days later. They had both confessed to missing each other. Felicity readily said yes to a movie marathon over Big Belly takeout in the home theater of his Palm Springs villa, but instead of binge-watching Dr. Who like they'd planned, one topic of conversation had led to another, and without them actually forcing the issue, they had somehow segued into having the talk.

When Oliver had asked why she had broken up with him four years ago, Felicity had answered, "Oliver, I told you that I didn't think a long distance relationship was going to work. I had to leave Starling soon after film school and take care of my mom. She needed me. I knew that my acting career would have to be put on hold. It wasn't fair to you for me to ask you to do the same."

"You didn't have to ask, Felicity. I would have offered, gladly and willingly. That was a choice that I had to make, but you didn't give me a chance. I guess that was why it hurt so much. It still does… sometimes," Oliver had explained.

"Oh, Oliver, I'm sorry. The last thing I wanted to do was to hurt you," she had apologized. She leaned forward towards where he sat on his couch and gave his hand a squeeze. "I was just… I actually thought I was doing what was best for you."

Oliver had simply smiled sadly. He had taken a deep breath, and then he had taken her hand and intertwined their fingers. "What was best for me was to be with you. Partners, remember? I cared a lot about you. I still do. I will never stop caring about you. It's a mortal lock." He had smiled sweetly at her, which she had fondly returned.

"Oliver?" Felicity had spoken softly. It was clear from the tone of her voice that she had been hesitant about whether or not to continue, so Oliver had given her hand a gentle squeeze to urge her that it was safe for her to go on. She had swallowed hard and bravely gone on to say, "I am so, so sorry."

"You already apologized, and I forgive you. Let it go," he had assured her.

"No, you don't understand. I'm apologizing for something else – for not trusting you enough to tell you the truth, the whole truth." Her voice had trembled as she spoke.

"What are you talking about?"

"Oliver, I did break up with you because I was moving away. But… but it was more than that." She had paused momentarily to ground herself. "I… I hadn't planned to move away completely, or to break up with you permanently. I planned to come back as soon as my mom recovered from surgery. I wanted to try and make it work between us. But your mother…"

"What about my mother?" Oliver had tensed up. Concern had laced his words, as he was well aware of what his mom was capable of.

"Moira came to my apartment in Starling one day. She… uh…"

Oliver had shifted and closed the gap between them to offer emotional support. He had wanted her to tell him everything. He had been waiting for answers for the last four years. And after this, he was definitely going to have a serious talk with his mother.

"She somehow found out about my mom's condition. She convinced me that it was in your best interests that I ended our relationship. She was so sure that if I gave you a choice, you would put your career on hold just to be with me in my time of need, and she didn't want that for you. She told me that she and your dad already felt disappointed that you had chosen to become an actor instead of joining the family business. But she also said that she'd come to realize that you had what it took to become successful in the film industry, to become a famous actor. She told me that very promising offers from major production outfits were already on the table for you. Putting your career on hold for me would have been the foolish thing to do."

Oliver's eyes had narrowed, and Felicity could see how upset he was becoming, but she could no longer bear not telling him the truth, not when he had so earnestly confessed how hurt he'd been when she had broken up with him just like that.

"Moira tried to give me a check for a million dollars just to break up with you, leave Starling, and disappear from your life. It was a tempting offer, considering my mom needed the money for surgery then, but I refused to take it. I told her that my word was enough guarantee. I would break up with you because I, too, wanted what was best for you. She warned me never to tell you about her visit, or she would make it appear that I took the money. The next day, I broke up with you, and the day after that, I flew to Vegas and promised myself that I would never look back."

"If it's any consolation, you know, I was hurting too. Maybe having to take care of my mom was a helpful distraction, but it was tough getting over you, Oliver," she had confessed.

"Have you?" he'd asked.

Before she'd been able to answer, both their phones started ringing, and when they'd checked, they both had gotten the same message – that their scheduled first day on set had been moved a day earlier. They had both sighed in frustration, calling it a day earlier than they would have wanted, because they both had to be on time for work the next day.

They were shooting the last scene of episode one where Oliver's character Sully was supposed to greet Felicity's character Dr. Thatcher a 'happy birthday.' The scene was supposed to end with him kissing her for the very first time on the show.

Oliver was very much looking forward to it. Felicity had mixed emotions, partly excited and partly anxious. It wasn't going to be their first time to actually kiss. They'd been together for almost three years before, and they had kissed plenty. She knew they could do it, technically. But she wasn't sure how they would respond to such a situation, especially with so many people on set watching while they did it. Also, they hadn't had time to process yet what they had talked about the night before.

"A quick, chaste kiss on the lips," Felicity said to him as they processed the scene before the shoot. "We can do that, right?"

"Right," replied Oliver. "That's all the script says. It'll be over before we know it. After all, we've had lots of practice from way back," he teased.

Felicity playfully hits him at the back of the head with the bunch of papers in her hand. "You're gonna enjoy this, aren't you?"

He answered with a mischievous wink.

Before she could protest further, Lyla called for everyone to get ready for the shoot.

Soon, everyone and everything were prepared, and Lyla hollered, "Action!" The scene was underway. Everything was going smoothly. The rest of the characters had left the party in honor of Dr. Thatcher, leaving her and Sully walking down the road in town under the moonlight.

Oliver and Felicity's dialogues proceeded according to the script, but when the moment came for him to greet her a 'happy birthday' in a low, soft whisper, sparks flew. He gazed at her with so much passion that everyone on set had to hold his or her breath, until he leaned forward to kiss her. When their lips met, it was pure fire.

What started out as a chaste kiss quickly became a more passionate one. His right arm snaked around her waist while his other hand cradled the back of her head. Her palms slid up his chest until her hands locked at his nape. The contact instantly brought back memories and stirred up instinctive responses that reminded them of how much they had longed for each other all these years. It was hunger. It was thirst. It was four years of feeling lost and finally finding their way back home.

And it was being filmed on different angles by three different cameras, witnessed by a crew of stunned men and women, as well as a few wide-eyed, shocked cast members that had lingered on set.

Lyla called out, "Cut!" but Oliver and Felicity were oblivious to anyone and anything else except each other. Shaking her head and chuckling, she murmured to her crew, "Whew… I'm not so sure about going for another take. Or two. Guess that'll do. The guys at editing have their work cut out for them."

Early the next morning, John Diggle rapped on the door of Oliver's trailer. As soon as Oliver opened the door, John marched into the trailer and scolded his friend. "What did you think you were doing, man?"

"It was one kiss, John. We got carried away. Sorry, I won't let it happen again," Oliver promised.

"Well, it's too late for that!" John berated him, almost slamming his I-phone against Oliver's bare chest in his anger. "The paps beat you to it. Your hot kiss is all over Twitter and the Internet!"

Oliver looked at the screen of John's phone and scrolled up and down. To his horror, not only were there shots of him kissing her during filming the day before – obviously using a professional camera with zoom lens from a fair distance – there were also photos of him with Felicity during their recent visit in Vegas. Worse, there were pictures of them from years ago in Starling when they were still together. John showed him the first few online tabloid articles and gossip columns that had already come out, hinting at a secret love affair between the lead characters of When Home Calls the Heart that "most possibly dates back to about five years ago" when they went to Starling City Film School together. Worst, one reporter named Susan Williams, whom Oliver particularly disliked, painted a very negative picture of Felicity Smoak, suggesting that this novice in showbiz might have slept her way into her current role in the name of fame.

"The press is having a field day over this, Oliver," John said sternly. "You should have known better. Felicity has already gone through so much. This is going to hurt her. And I'm not talking about just her career."

Oliver stood speechless. He was upset, yes. But he was more worried about Felicity. Without saying a word more to John, he rushed out of his trailer and went looking for her.

Reaching Felicity's trailer, he knocked. "Felicity?" There was no answer. He knocked and called out again. Still, there was no answer.

"Mr. Queen, are you looking for Ms. Smoak?" one of the crew members asked from behind him.

Oliver turned to the guy and said, "Yes. Do you know where she is?"

"I saw her get in her car and leave earlier," the guy replied. "She seemed… upset."

Oliver's jaw clenched as he pulled out his phone from his pocket. He called her number but she did not pick up. He tried a second time, and then a third, but his calls went straight to her voice mail. Out of instinct, he punched the door of her trailer in anger.

Whatever it took, he was going to fix this. He was used to Hollywood gossip and scandals and all the dirty tricks of the trade. Felicity wasn't. She was going to suffer the consequences of his recklessness. He blamed himself for what was happening. Perhaps he had moved too fast, too soon. He got caught up in rekindling their old flame that he didn't stop to consider the repercussions.

This was not good. He was just getting her back. He wasn't going to lose her again. Not like this.

A/N: Your thoughts on this one? We're almost done. Just one or two chapters left.