A/N: Sorry this is a slight bit shorter, but hey a bit faster update? Heheh. Well, here we are and I hope you all enjoy it. I don't know how really all of the, uhm, police proceedings here might work so uh, creative license and all that? I hope it makes a sort of sense at any rate, but yes, thank you everyone for reading and reviewing! :)

The first day or two home, well at her temporary home, she was so exhausted that she slept most of the time. Though, when she was up and having easily swallowable sustenance at the table by the window, she did see the same police cruiser pass the house a time or two. She tried very hard not to read into that. It could be a good thing or it could mean a bad thing, so really, she was determined to put it out of her mind.

What she couldn't put out of her mind was the expense and trouble her friend and coworker had gone through for her - she was surprised to find a few comfy, non-burned and soot covered outfits waiting for her. They ranged from a stylish dress to lounge around the house wear, including a nightgown. Her friend couldn't know that she preferred sleeping in oversized shirts, but she was so grateful for everything that she didn't say a word even if she could. And the non-melted toiletries were such an awesome plus.

The beyond any doubt greatest plus, however, was the most surprising and by far most expensive gift - the latest i-phone along with a six month unlimited plan. Seeing as all her electronics at home had been fried, she really could not be more grateful. Her friend was being a little quiet on the matter, and something about her manner every time Felicity tried to thank her for the items and plan to repay her sent red flags to waving in Felicity's mind. There was a mystery here, and she was determined to search it out.

After sleep, much more sleep.

Until she was woken sometime mid-day by a hushed conversation going on on the other side of her bedroom door. It sounded like Charla...and possibly Officer Diggle, Oliver's partner, and Oliver himself? Even though the voices were hushed, she could somehow tell that Oliver was angry. Easing her lower limbs out from under the covers, Felicity sat on the edge of the bed and collected herself for a moment. She'd taken a nap in one of her lounging outfits, sweatpants and a long-sleeved t-shirt that had three adorable puppies on it, one in a leather jacket, the middle one wearing a red fez and a scarf, and the one on the right 3D glasses.

Her skin would sometimes get to feeling hot but she still got shivers quite often, hence all the long garments. She slipped her feet into the house shoes waiting at the edge of the bed for her and then slowly stood. The voices were starting to fade away from the door, but as she suspected that they were talking about her, she was going to have her say whether they liked it or not. She ambled on over the door and slowly opened it.

They hadn't made it very far, only a few paces down the hallway when they had apparently stopped again to have a discussion. Their backs were turned to her so she slowly moved forward. Digg turned and noticed her movement from the corner of his eye and was the first to address her,

"Miss Smoak!" He said, loud enough to gain the attention of the other two. "I'm sorry if we disturbed you, we didn't mean to wake you."

"I told them that you were resting, but.." Charla paused and bit her lip, then sighed and waved towards the living room. "Since you are up now, why don't we all sit down? And maybe I can get you a water or something?"

Felicity shook her head, declining the offer. Right now she only wanted answers to the strange behavior going on here today. Though it felt as if everything had been off-kilter since the fire, so, maybe she was just imagining things... one glance at Oliver, who was trailing behind her with a...well what she could only describe as a 'constipated look' on his face, and she was rethinking that. Maybe it wasn't just her. She headed towards the couch and Oliver took a seat next to her, still saying nothing.

"Miss Smoak.." Officer Diggle said, but Felicity quietly interrupted him.

"Felicity."

Diggle nodded and then continued, "The initial reports assessing the fire damage at your apartment have...revealed something of concern." Here he paused, and if she didn't know any better, it looked as if he really didn't want to say what he was about to but had no choice. Her hands went to grip the cushions in preparation for whatever blow was coming, and instantly she felt her hand covered by another's hand. She knew it was Oliver and silently thanked him for his support, but she could not break eye contact with Officer Diggle at this moment.

"The fire started from inside your apartment, Felicity. The walls of your living room in particular were coated with a certain type of accelerant consistent to that which was used in the previous Boston fire. I'm afraid we will have to take you in for questioning..."

Felicity didn't hear that part, her brain did not get beyond the words, 'started from inside your apartment.'

Inside.

Inside.

That meant he had been in her home, right next door to where she'd been sleeping. He had broken into her home and she had never known!

Before she could formally acknowledge that her internal freakout was becoming a very external one, Oliver was suddenly kneeling in front of her and was holding her hands, speaking softly to hear and telling her over and over again that she was safe. That he was here with her, she was safe here. He was here, she was safe.

After another few moments, her mind unfroze and she finally started to let herself believe that. She met his gaze as she worked to even out her breathing, and slowly she nodded. His gaze seemed to go right through her, but if he could see how weak and crumbled and all jumbled up she felt inside, well then he didn't judge. He simply nodded and slowly went to resume his seat at her side. She was unashamed to admit that she snuggled close into his side right away. He didn't seem to mind, either; he even put an arm around her.

"Does she really need to be taken in, Digg?" Oliver hissed over her head, and ah, they seemed to have come to the seat of his main contention.

"I don't think she's guilty either, Oliver, but there are some questions that have to be addressed...and given this latest information, her safety may well be at risk." Diggle quietly reasoned.

Guilty? What? They thought she burned down her own home, not once but twice...? In the same way, too. She took offense to this. How stupid did they think she was?!

"So throw her in a cell to keep her safe, that's what you're saying?" Oliver shot back, and Felicity could feel the arm around her tighten a bit.

"She might be safer there than here - and there is Mr. and Mrs. Watson to think of. If they get caught in the cross hairs..." Digg trailed off, and despite Charla's sputtering protests that she and her husband could take care of themselves, this more than all else made her pale and give it serious consideration. Because if something happened to Charla because Felicity was too stubborn...

She knew Cooper, and she knew he would not care who he hurt in his efforts to get at her. He'd already hurt countless others in the apartments surrounding hers, and now that she knew for sure he was back, well she couldn't let the Watsons be sitting ducks, either.

"I'll go." She whispered, halting all conversation. She stared Diggle down as she said it, attempting to sit up a little straighter. She heard Oliver whisper her name and put a gentle pressure on her shoulder so that she would turn and face him.

"You don't have to if you don't want to." Oliver quietly reminded her. She gave him a half-smile then squeezed his hand.

"I want to." She said, then coughed several times and winced because, ouch. So, talking...still hurts. Check. Coughing, hurts much worse. Double check.

"Are you sure, Sweetheart? I mean...you really don't have to, just on account of James and I." Charla had to put in, but now that her mind was made Felicity would not be swayed.

"We have a safe house here in the city - we can conduct our business there, and you will be safe there, Felicity." Diggle tried to reassure her but, given the knowledge that Cooper had been in her home, she doubted she'd ever really feel safe anywhere ever again.

She was really doing this. Charla had given her a duffel bag that she could pack with the few things that were hers, waiting in the room with her and helping wherever she could while the men waited outside and made arrangements to take her to that safe house Diggle had mentioned. Charla had disappeared for a moment as Felicity had gathered up her toothbrush and hair items, but had returned with a sly grin as Felicity dumped the items into her pack.

"Almost finished, dear?" Charla asked, noticing Felicity take one last look around before nodding as she zipped up the duffel. Charla started to frown and reached for her hand, pulling her into a gentle hug.

"You feel free to come back anytime - and I mean day or night, whenever. Our door will always be open." Charla leaned back and actually sniffed, then patted her shoulder. "And I hope to see you back at work before too much longer. The quicker all this business is settled, the better. But you'd better stay safe, dear." Then she grinned and pressed something into Felicity's palm. "And you'd better give this back to your man, he's certainly let me borrow it long enough." she winked, and then fled the room.

Felicity blinked, staring after her for a second, then looked down to the item in her hand. It was a credit card.

A credit card in the name of one Oliver Queen.

He'd let Charla borrow his credit card? Confusion filled her, before she glanced over to her duffel and the brand new phone sitting next to it. Realization shot through her, followed by humiliation mixed with fury, tempered by a strange emotion she felt in an oddly keen way but really didn't want to give voice to. Why had Oliver not mentioned any of this? Well, if he thought she could be so easily bought off, then he had another thing coming. She grabbed her phone and stomped out to the living room. They were both there, so she forcibly pressed the card into his stomach with the hissed words,

"I will pay you back." She got out the words, no matter how much it hurt her throat, then marched right on out the door. She heard Diggle laughing as a confused but pouty-face Oliver followed her out, Digg going to retrieve her bag before joining them, and then they headed out.

"It - I was not trying to buy you off, I was simply making sure you had everything you needed for a fresh start." Oliver was saying, attempting to explain his actions to the silent blonde in the back seat.

"Yeah, because he always gives his girlfriend's best friend his visa and says, 'Go crazy.'" Digg commented sarcastically from the driver's seat.

"John!" Oliver yelped at the same time Felicity gave a silent gasp and stared wide-eyed at the driver. "I do not…" the boys up front proceeded to bicker, but Felicity was still stunned to silence because, well, because in Oliver's response to John's claim, he had not corrected his partner as to the actual non-girlfriend part of that statement. And while she really didn't want to read into that with all that was going on at present, well...she supposed they were sort of dating, even if the actual first date had never yet got to take place?

As they drove on towards the safe house, something peculiar happened. Felicity's phone pinged with an incoming text. At first she assumed it was Charla, with another plea to be careful or something of a similar vein, but it was a message from an unknown number. Dread swirled inside her stomach as she stared down at it, the sounds around her fading into nothingness, before she finally clicked on it.

Seeking solace in the arms of the cops? Tsk, tsk. And you used to be so brave.

As she was staring at it, another from the same number pinged in. She gasped in horror and her blood turned to ice.

You can run, babe, but you can't hide.