Author's Note: Even though there weren't many reviews, thank you for the ones I did get, as well as the follows and favorites. I appreciate all of the support though I know that this story could be dark at times. Also, do firefighters say "Over" at the end of a radio call? Any who… on with chapter two

Disclaimer: Arrow rights belong to DC/CW

Chapter Two: Set Ablaze


Friday, January 9, 2006

Oliver Queen's eyes skimmed over the school library, looking for his group of friends. It was study hall period and there were about a hundred kids in there. Before he found his friends, he spotted the dark haired beauty: Felicity Smoak.

She was sitting at a table, her back to him, as she typed furiously on her laptop. Her brunette hair, (which was currently adorned with electric blue highlights), was piled on top of her head, showing off her slender neck. She was dressed in a fitted black t-shirt and black skinny jeans. He absently walked towards her, and upon getting closer, saw that her nail color matched her new highlights.

"Hey, Oliver." She smiled, not looking up from the essay she was typing. He sat in the chair beside her as she saved her document.

"Hey, Felicity." He smiled back, feeling butterflies rush through his stomach. How was it that she was able to get him like this? Oliver never had trouble flirting with girls, but he knew Felicity wouldn't go for it. She wasn't like the other girls. They been friends for a while now, though they didn't hang out much outside of school.

"So, what's up?" She asked, her blue eyes shining bright. How could she possibly be so beautiful? The first time Oliver had met Felicity, (back in the sixth grade), sure he thought she was cute, but that was really it. It wasn't until they'd gotten to know each other better, (only because she was tutoring him in biology), that he'd developed a crush on her. Her bubbly personality, which seemed oxymoronic against her goth sense of style, made her even more beautiful in his eyes.

This was his chance. He'd spent the last two years pining over her. She had just turned fourteen, but she was also a sophomore. He met her in middle school, and it wasn't until the eighth grade senior trip that he realized that Felicity Smoak was the only girl he wanted.

"Not much," he started of before looking down at his lap, where he rubbed his thumb against his index finger on one hand. He was surprised when her cold, small hand landed on top of his. He looked up, his blue eyes meeting hers. She gave him a small smile, willing him to relax.

"Is everything okay, Oliver?" Felicity asked gently, angling her body to face his, still holding his hand.

"Yeah, I- um, are you busy tonight?" He asked, then continued before she could respond. "It's just that... I've had a crush on you since the end of eighth grade, and I know I probably should've said something sooner, but I didn't, and I'm asking now, because I really, really want to take you to dinner... like a date." His eyes searched hers as he spoke, and he swallowed when she hadn't responded right away.

"I really wish you would have said something sooner." Felicity replied, sadly, looking down at their joined hands. Oliver's heart froze and he could only focus on the brunette before him, all of the other kids in the library fading away. She finally looked back up at him. "Um... I'm moving this weekend, Oliver."

"Oh," he replied, the shock settling in as he realized that the only girl he wanted was leaving. "Where are you moving to?" He asked, hardly above a whisper.

"Vegas." She stated simply, her voice as low as his.

"Vegas." He repeated, instilling it in his brain.

"Mhmm." She hummed. Oliver blinked, feeling his chest tighten. All of the money in the world, but he couldn't have the one girl he wanted. "I'm sorry, Oliver. I really do like you, I have since we met." She said slowly, her face turning a light shade of pink.

"I'm sorry." He said back, as the late bell rang.

"I'm late for P.E., but see you after school?" She asked, removing her hand from his, to put her laptop away.

"Yea, I'll meet you by the front entrance." He smiled back. Felicity stood and looked at him for a moment, slinging her bag over her shoulder. She surprised Oliver when she leaned down, one hand gently resting on his thigh, and pressed a quick, sweet kiss on his lips.

"Bye, Oliver." She smiled, before scurrying out of the library.


Oliver woke up at five a.m. sharp, quickly showering and getting dressed in a dark green t-shirt and jeans. To say he was excited for his first day back on the job would be an understatement. His uniform and gear was already waiting in his locker at the firehouse. He slid on his socks and walked through the Queen Manor, the home of his billionaire family that he'd been unable to part with.

The mansion was lonely with just him living there. The family housekeeper, Raisa, still worked for him, but he'd bought her a nearby house of her choosing that she could live in with her husband. She'd married shortly after Thea left. She still came by from nine to five, five days a week. Oliver was capable of cooking for himself, thanks to her teachings over the many years. On days that he knew he'd be working late, she would cook dinner for him to reheat, then let herself out. Raisa mainly came to help with basic household chores and grocery shopping. Sometimes, she and her husband would come by just to spend time with him.

They knew that Oliver was lonely. He'd stopped sleeping around years ago, (though he was lonely then, too), and was craving a serious relationship. He honestly wanted to settle down and bring a family back into the lonely mansion. He'd been in a few relationships after Felicity moved away. But her lips on his was always on his mind, forcing him to think about the what-ifs. He wondered why she hadn't come back to Starling until now.

Oliver walked into the kitchen and started up the coffee machine, placing his mug beneath the spout. As he waited for his coffee, he grabbed a nonstick pan from the cabinet and placed it on top of the stove. From the fridge, he pulled out eggs, peppers, onions and cheese for an omelet and got to work. When breakfast was done, he sat at the dining room table, and ate in a lonesome silence as he scrolled through the headlines on his phone.

Once he finally finished, he head back upstairs and slid on his boots then grabbed a black cap. On his way down the stairs he placed it backwards on his head, and grabbed his moto-jacket on the way out.

The slightly chilly autumn air rushed around him as he sped through Starling City on his freshly waxed Ducati. It was only six in the morning, and the sun had just barely begun to rise. It only took about fifteen minutes to reach the firehouse and park his motorcycle outside.

Oliver hopped off of his bike and walked into the firehouse, and instantly everyone who was there erupted into applause, warming his heart. Some people were on their way out as their shift was just ending, and some had just gotten there not long before him. Oliver smiled, and thanked his fellow firefighters as he head towards his locker, where Diggle and Tommy already waited for him.

"Good to have you back, man." Diggle smile, fist bumping his friend. Tommy and Oliver had been best friends as long as they could remember. Diggle joined their group of friends when they were all in the third grade and they'd all been best friends since. Contrary to the other two, he'd never been the playboy type, but still helped them scout girls. He, on the other hand, had been in an "on-again, off-again" relationship with Lyla Michaels. They had ended up getting married straight out of college.

"It feels good to be back." Oliver smiled, opening his locker, which was between those of his two friends. He made quick work of changing into his gear, as calls were already bring dispatched. A beep from the P.A. system signaled the announcement that was to come.

"Diggle, Lawton, Merlyn, Palmer, Hall, Chase, Briggs, and Queen. Large fire in the penthouse of an apartment complex, woman heard screaming inside, address sent to Truck-19's GPS. With no time to waste, the men and two women headed for truck-19.

Oliver felt his adrenaline pumping just at the thought of going on his first call. Due to his strength, speed, and ability to hold his breath longer than the rest of the crew, he was always first elect for locating and saving the person in need. He loved the thrill of running into burning buildings and saving lives. He couldn't save his father when the beach house burned down. Robert Queen had told his wife and children that he was going on a QC-related business trip. When news broke, it turned out that he was actually in the family's beach house in Miami. With Isabel Rochev. Before he knew it, they had reached their location: 1107 Pointe Avenue. It was only a few blocks away, and traffic was extremely light.

Every team member sprung into action, surrounded by the tenants who had been evacuated- all flooding the sidewalks nearby.. Oliver quickly got into his self-contained breathing apparatus. He knew that from the size of the fire, there would be an immense amount of smoke. He would need the reassurance of breathable air when he got up there if he was going to save the woman. Callers had reported hearing the woman screaming, but there was nothing. The only noise was the harsh crackling of the fire.

McKenna Hall and Tommy began moving the tenants further away from the scene as a safety precaution. They were too close to the building, and shards of glass covered the ground around it. A group of about 5 windows on one side were up in flames, the windows blown out. The smell of smoke and kerosene filled the air, and it was definitely toxic for these people to stand so close, breathing it. The fire had originated from the tenth-floor bedroom window, and spread to the eleventh and twelfth floors.

Oliver flew through the lobby, seeing the 'out of order' sign that already adorned the elevator. He had to run approximately one hundred feet to reach the tenth-floor, so that he could save the victim. Diggle was following close behind him with the others trailing behind, two more fire units had arrived at the scene. Oliver had much experience with Hill Sprints, so running up a thirty meter incline was nothing for him. He left his crew members, even Diggle, in the dust. The door was already cracked open and the hall filled with thick grey smoke. He grabbed his radio from his hip.

"Queen. Door's open, I'm going in. Scene secure. Over." He said, pushing the door open, and heading inside.

"Merlyn. Roger that. Med team on standby. Over." Tommy responded. Oliver moved through the penthouse quickly and cautiously, hearing the other men entering as he looked around for the woman. The fire had been contained to the master bedroom, though the thick, almost black, fig filled the apartment, making it difficult to see.

"Queen. Fire contained to master bed. Have a ladder ready at the window. Over. " he called in, as he reached the room's double doors. Only the silver, metal door frames were left, the glass shattered out from the fire, Oliver quickly moved in, Diggle behind him. Other members of the team were busting out windows in other rooms to allow the smoke out of the building. There were at least seven firefighters at inside.

The entire room was up in flames and Oliver was amazed that it hadn't spread to the living room. The once lavish curtains were up in flames , and so was the king size bed. The canopy above the bed was also ablaze. There were random items of clothing strewn around the room, and do it was evident that they were deliberately set aflame. In the middle of the room, the large rug was also on fire. The chandelier was shattered on the floor, and there were a myriad of glass shards- more than likely from beer.

A few feet from the edge of the rug, and about equidistant from the curtains was a brown wooden chair facing the window. There was a blond woman with her hands tied behind her back, her head slumped, and her feet tied to the chair legs. She was dressed in nothing but a black bra and pink pajama shorts. It had only been about five minutes since they'd gotten the call and Oliver hoped they weren't too late.

He sprinted directly to the woman, rushing through the smoke and flames. He made quick work of the rope around her wrists before undoing the ones around her ankles. He quickly scooped the woman up into his arms., her blonde hair falling over her face. Her body was so battered and bruised and Oliver was sure that she had some internal bleeding. So, he called in to the unit, "serious injury, code 2, life-threatening." He quickly put his fingers to her pulse point, feeling nothing. "Assist civilian, code 2." Tommy alerted him that he would be waiting at the far East window of the apartment. As Oliver made his way to Tommy, one glance at the woman revealed her identity.

Felicity Smoak.

What. The. Fuck.

Felicity

She lay in silence planning her escape.

Felicity had laid in the same spot, having the same conversation with herself, on plenty of occasions. But this time, she was going to go through with it. She didn't know what time it was, but she could see daylight just beginning to peak through the bedroom window. Cooper laid beside her, his back to her, out cold. He'd been asleep for a couple of hours, but Felicity wanted to ensure that he was in a deep sleep.

She slowly sat up and climbed out of bed. Her bare feet quietly padded across the room. She was only dressed in a pair of hot pink pajama shorts and her bra. She opened the dresser drawer and pulled out the first shirt she saw. When she turned to face the bed again, Cooper was standing about five feet away from her. She paused, the dark blue t-shirt still in her hand.

Cooper stayed silent for a moment, and their eyes remained locked for the better part of a minute. He gave her a disappointed look and cocked his head slightly.

"Cooper, I—"

He cut her off with a sharp shake of his head.

"I don't wanna hear any bullshit so save it." He said, his voice low and rough. He releases an exasperated sigh, then snatched the shirt from her hand, tossing it in the floor. Felicity swallowed, feeling her chest tighten in anticipation. "The truth babe, I won't be mad. Where were you going?" he asked, folding his arms.

"Nowhere," she whispered back. She did even see the movement, she just felt a sharp sting burning a her cheek as her head snapped back.

"Don't you fucking lie to me. I may be a lot of things babe, but I assure you, stupid isn't one of them. You were leaving to go to that guy from the AA meeting. Weren't you?" he ground out, his voice a few octaves lower than normal. Felicity's plan had nothing to do with Oliver.

"I wasn't , Cooper, I swear." Felicity pleaded with him, her blue eyes larger than normal.

"What did I tell you the last time you tried to leave me?" he ground out, approaching her until they were just inches apart. Felicity opened her mouth but no words came out. "You know, Eminem is a wise man. You know what my favorite line of his is?" he asked slowly walking around her. Now standing behind her, he leaned in so that his lips were against her ear before slowly reciting: ""if you ever try to fucking leave again, Ima tie you to the bed. And set this house on fire."

Felicity shuddered at Cooper's words, but couldn't bring herself to move. His hands landed on her hips sending a soul-wracking chill through her body.

"You know, that line alone gives me so many different ideas… ideas of how to teach you a lesson you'll never forget." He began, sliding his hands up to rest on ether side of her neck. "Don't worry, I'll call the SCFD." He whispered as her arms wound around her neck, putting her in a sleeping hold. Felicity instantly thrashed against him, unknowing of his plans, but aware that it would have something to do with fire. She dropped her arm and hit him in the ground before he let her go.

Felicity fell to her knees, attempting to regain her breath, as Cooper fell behind her. She scurried to her feet, but he grabbed her ankle, forcing her to fall to her face with a sickening thud. Felicity winced in pain before rolling on to her back, one hand holding her face. Cooper quickly kneeled over her, his feet straddling her torso, and grabbed hold of her neck with his right hand, before leaning down to her face.

"Do you know just how sick I am of you?" he growled, depriving her of oxygen as she attempted to gasp for air. He released his hold the moment she began to turn blue in the face. Not missing a beat he began pummeling the fragile blonde with his fists. All she could remember was his vicious beating before everything went black.

Oliver

I went straight to Starling General when my shift ended, Tommy and Diggle trailing behind in their respective cars. The nurses, already very familiar with us, allowed us to visit Felicity but demanded only one visitor at a time. We were each allotted five minutes with her, so that she could get back to resting.

"You should go first, dude." Tommy started. "You're the one who saved her life." Diggle nodded in agreement as I swallowed thickly.

"I'd rather go last… I just need some time to collect my thoughts." I had all day to collect my thoughts seeing as the rest of my shift was a bit slow, but now that we were just a few feet from Felicity, my nerves began drowning me.

"Okay, I'll go first then." Diggle replied, as Nurse Aria approached.

"Hey guys, it's great to see you all again. Especially you Mr. Queen. Welcome back " she smiled genuinely.

"It's good to see you too, Aria, and thank you." I responded, giving her a halfhearted smile.

"Of course. So I just wanted to give you gentlemen an update on Ms. Smoak's condition." She began, now taking a serious tone. We stood in a half circle facing Aria, all bracing ourselves for the news. "So, there's the obvious: smoke inhalation—and wow, no pun intended there. As I know you all know, chemical asphyxiants and low oxygen levels can lead to changes in the victim's mental status. Luckily she's fully conscious now but it's not impossible for her to fall into a coma later.

"She's experiencing a bit of confusion, but nothing too serious. We've completed a series of memory tests and they've been getting increasingly better throughout the day. We also did a bronchoscopy when she first arrived and found a bit of damage done to her airways. We were able to suction out the soot and debris but she's still have a little trouble breathing. We've decided to give her an endotracheal intubation to help her breath earlier, but right now we just have her with an oxygen mask."

"How long do you think she'll need it?" Tommy asked, his brows furrowing.

"It's still soon to tell, but if Ms. Smoak continues to improve at the rate she is, she'll probably start breathing on her own in the next 24-48 hours. She was very lucky to have no burns, but there was something else of a more... sensitive topic that we found." Aria replied, lowering her voice. My eyes instantly shot up to hers and I knew she had to be referring to the cuts and bruises that I saw.

"What is it?" Diggle asked, leaning in a bit, and crossing his massive arms.

"Well, we found a lot of bruising on her body, and we didn't want to jump to conclusions, especially since Ms. Smoak hadn't mentioned anything when we asked. If her inconsistent excuses weren't a big enough sign, the handprints were a dead giveaway." Aria tucked her clipboard under her arm before continuing. "Strangulation can cause pulmonary edema, which is an overload of fluid in the lungs. It's too soon to give an estimate, but this can last for up to two weeks. She has vomit in her lungs which we've given her a corticosteroid for. We're going to keep a close eye on her for a while to make sure that the vomit doesn't, for lack of better term, digest her lungs."

"So what else can be done to avoid that?" I asked, finally speaking up.

"Well as of right now, we're using the steroids to bring down the inflammation in her lungs. She already had a visit from our on-call respiratory therapist, which we will continue until she's discharged. In the meantime, a pulmonologist will be in to see her after your visit. Any other questions?" she asked patiently. We all shook our heads and thanked her before she led Diggle to Felicity's room.

I waited patiently, while Tommy stepped out to call his fiancé, Jessica. My thoughts were rushing a mile a minute. I knew her no-good boyfriend had something to do with this, and I was dying for him to show up so that I could kick his ass into oblivion. Soon enough, Diggle returned and Tommy took his turn with Felicity.

"How'd it go?" I asked, keeping my voice calm, despite the outrage I was feeling.

"Good…" he started, sitting next to me on the bench outside of her room. "She's pretty beaten up and still a bit shaky. She was surprised that I'm here, but she still seemed pretty happy to see me"

"That's good." I smiled at him.

"Yeah… she's so different now." He sighed. I nodded in agreement and we sat in a comfortable silence until Tommy came back out.

"You know we're gonna find this guy and teach his ass a lesson." Tommy growled.

"One he'll never forget." I tagged on, as I stood, preparing myself to see the woman of my dreams. As I moved towards her door, Tommy walked around me and sat in my previously occupied seat.

I grabbed the door handle, turning it before giving the door a gentle push. Felicity was lying in the bed with her head turned toward me. Wild blonde hair cascaded around her face and over her shoulders and the oxygen mask adorned her face. She offered me a weak smile as I stepped in, closing the door behind me.

"Oliver Queen." She greeted, slightly muffled by the mask.

"Felicity Smoak." I retorted, offering her a small smile as I took the seat beside her bed.

"Punny isn't it?" she joked.

"How can you be so calm?" I asked, holding her right hand in my own. She flinched slightly at the contact, and as I was about to retract my hand, she squeezed it, silently telling me to not to let go. I gave her a reassuring smile then pressed a kiss to her knuckles.

"I already wasted all of my energy freaking out." She smirked.

"Good, now that that's out of the way, you need to save your energy." I said, gently rubbing my thumb over her knuckles.

"Thank you, Oliver." She whispered, her voice so low, I almost didn't hear her.

"For what?" I asked, furrowing my browser in confusion.

"You saved my life. Had you not gotten to me so fast… I could've been dead." She answered, staring off into space. "Then again maybe I shouldn't be thanking you." She muttered.

"What does that mean?" I asked, causing her eyes to pop open.

"I... didn't mean to say that out loud." She backtracked, nervously. I decided not to push it, not wanting her to feel stressed out or overwhelmed.

"So, where's your boyfriend? He seems pretty protective, I thought he'd be here with you." It took everything in me to keep the animosity out of my voice.

"Umm.. he stopped by earlier. He's looking for somewhere for us to stay." She replied, refusing eye contact. I kept my eyes trained on her, immediately noticing the way she tensed up. Why was she protecting him?

"Felicity," I started, leaning my face down closers to hers, "if you ever need anyone to talk to, I'm here for you. Please know that, I will be here whenever you need me." She opened her mouth to respond, but stopped when the door opened.

"Hi, I'm sorry to interrupt." The man said. "I'm Doctor Alan, pulmonologist. Are you almost ready for me, Ms. Smoak?" I turned back to look down at Felicity.

"I'll be back to see you tomorrow after work, okay?" I told her, kissing her knuckles again, as she nodded. "I'll have the nurse give you my number. And remember, anything you need, just give me a call. Anything. I don't care what time it is, I'm only a phone call away."

"Thank you, Oliver. It means a lot." She replied, forcing a smile. I stood from the chair and leaned down to kiss the top of her head.

"You never have to thank me." I whispered to her seriously.

.