Moira looks at Felicity expectantly. The girl is standing there in one of her son's t-shirt and looks like she had a rough night. She has a bandage on her forehead and a bruise on her cheek. She doesn't look like the girls Moira has paid off before. That doesn't mean anything. She could be dangerous to Oliver and with Malcolm and the Undertaking, she doesn't have time to do the research on this particular girl.

"How much?" Moira asks. "250,000? Will that do?"

"I don't understand," Felicity says quietly. "You're offering me money?"

"500,000 then? You will take the money and you will leave Starling and my son."

"You...want me to abandon Oliver? For money?" Felicity asks shocked. "You're his mother."

"That's why I'm doing this," Moira explains. "I am perfectly capable of providing you a reason to leave my son. He's been through enough and he shouldn't have to deal with a scheming woman intent on taking advantage."

"I love your son," Felicity says. "You can't buy me off."

"2 million then. One now and one when you are settled elsewhere," Moira offers. "You would be smart to take it."

"I don't need money to be happy," Felicity says. "I never needed money."

"And that's why you let my son pay for your apartment and buy you jewelry? You don't need money?"

"I pay for my apartment," Felicity says in anger. "I pay. No one else. Oliver bought me earrings once. I think it's ridiculous people always think a woman can only be happy if a man is giving her diamonds. No one provides for me. I do."

"How noble," Moira says.

"True love is a partnership," Felicity continues. "It's where two people support each other and bolster each other against the storms of life. Love is equal. It's not equal every second of every day but at the end...it's equal. I give Oliver something and he gives me something but I'm not sure you would understand what he gives me."

"I think I can guess," she says cuttingly.

"He gives me what I never had," Felicity says brushing past Moira. She tosses her dish in the sink and breathes deeply. "He gives me a home and he loves me. His money doesn't matter to me. All I want is him and your money can't replace that."

"We'll see," Moira says. "Five million and that is the best you will get from me."

"That's enough."

Moira spins and sees Oliver standing there in sweatpants and holding a towel. He's angry. He's angrier than she's ever seen him. For a moment she feels fear at his gaze. There is something cold there and unfamiliar. It's dangerous.

"Oliver?" Felicity's voice is quiet. "It's nothing. Let it go." She moves around Moira and puts her hands on Oliver's chest. Moira watches Felicity smooth her hands over Oliver's scars. "She means well in her own way. I'll go take a shower. Come and find me."

"Always," he whispers. "How's your head?"

"Fine," she replies. "Dig is coming by later to change the locks and Thea called earlier looking for you. Don't forget to call her."

"I won't."

Oliver's eyes follow her and he waits until the door closes. His eyes flutter shut at the click before he hardens again, tensing for the argument.

"Oliver you need to understand what I'm trying to do. This woman is not good for you. You need to get some help and deal with what happened to you before trying to settle down."

"You didn't even bother to get to know her," Oliver says. He brushes past her and starts running water in the sink, washing the dish Felicity had put in there.

"I know her. She's using you for your money."

"No...she's not," Oliver says. His back is still to her. "The funny thing is everyone keeps telling me I've been through this trauma. I've suffered something and I should be someone else. Everyone keeps telling me I'm lost and confused and I'll be me again after enough time."

"Oliver…"

"I am me Mom. This is who I am now and the sooner everyone gets over it, the better."

"Oliver you have been through alot and we need to be careful about whom you trust."

"She's not scared of me," Oliver replies. "I attacked her one night in the middle of a nightmare and she held me. She doesn't look away from my scars. She lets me be me. She is the most beautiful person I've ever met. It's different with her. She...looks at me and I feel normal. After everything I deserve that right? I should get to be happy..."

"Oliver." He spins to face her and she sees something unexpected. He's upset. Oliver rarely gets upset. He's usually so confident and let's those feelings roll off of him. It was always a smiling kind of day when with Oliver.

"All my life everyone has always expected something of me. You and Dad expected me to grow up and run the company...get a wife, have some kids. Laurel wanted me to be the perfect future husband."

"Oliver that's not…"

"Right now you want me to put aside this and get better. You want me to put it all aside and be the old Oliver Queen. You want me to put a suit on and go to work at the company and pick the perfect wife and have kids and live in a cold, empty mansion. You want me to suffocate in your expectations."

"I want what's best for you Oliver."

"No you want what's best for you," Oliver says. "I love her and this is our home. I'm going to marry her Mom and I want kids with her. I want to create a home. She makes me happy and I…I need you to leave. You're not welcome in our home until you make it right with her."

"Oliver, please."

"You can let yourself out. Felicity was attacked last night in our home and I need to make sure she's okay. Thank you for asking about all of this by the way."

He leaves her standing there in the kitchen with her checkbook in hand. She turns and watches him close the bedroom door behind him. She turns to leave and gasps in surprise when she hears glass break. Leaning down she lifts the picture frame, turning it in her hands. The man in the picture is almost unrecognizable. Oliver looks happy and untouched by the island. He's clearly smiling at the person taking the picture. He's smiling at Felicity. She knows it and somehow that hurts more than anything. He used to smile for her or Thea and now he smiles for this woman instead.

Moira sits it back on the counter and looks again at the apartment. She has been distracted by her thoughts of protecting her son and she knows she misstepped. Instead she glances around at the room and can see what Oliver means. The room is filled with homey touches and she can see his things throughout. She sighs and leaves the apartment knowing this is not over and Oliver will make sure she makes it right.


When Oliver goes after John Nickel, he expects to find him. He needs to be punished for the deaths of his tenants. Felicity is okay with Oliver's planned attack on Nickel and in some ways he finds that off-putting. Felicity does not care for the Hood's specific brand of violence but today she's harder, tougher. She seems different and Oliver knows it is the past few days catching up to her.

When Nickel is not able to be found, Felicity heads home saying she needs to go to bed. Oliver is concerned by the way her shoulders droop but she orders him to stay behind. She wants him to spar or go out again. Either way she's making it clear. She doesn't want him to come home yet. She needs some time alone.

"Let's go to dinner," Diggle finally says. Oliver considers fighting him on it but decides to just go with it. He needs some time before he goes home and talks to Felicity about what is bothering her. He needs time to figure out what is bothering him although he suspects it is his mother.

They sit down at Big Belly Burger again and Oliver wonders if he should just permanently reserve the space. Between the three of them, someone always seems to be eating there. Last week he stumbled in on Dig and Felicity sharing a friendly lunch together.

"Hungrier than I thought," Oliver finally says when they get their food. "Are you going to let me eat first or should I just get ready for the lecture?"

"What's going on between you and Felicity?"

"My mother tried to pay her off," Oliver says. "It's a Moira Queen tradition."

"...I don't even know what to say to that," Diggle admits.

"In our home Dig. She came into our home, knowing I moved in there and tried to pay her off. She didn't even check to see if I was in the apartment."

"Oliver, I know you don't want to think this about your mother but do you think maybe she was hoping you were there and would overhear it?"

Oliver doesn't respond to that. He just eats and thinks about it. Diggle sighs and then leans back.

"Look man, I can't even begin to imagine what you would be like without Felicity. For the few months before you two got together you were...harsh. You were isolated and you were rough. She's smoothed down your edges a little bit and you've been better out there. Regardless of what's going on, you need to hold onto that. I'm worried you'll let her go too easily and then you'll lose that drive that makes you a better man. You are stronger with her you know?"

"Yeah I know. I'm not really sure what she sees in me," Oliver admits. "I mean look at her and then...me."

"It's funny because I had this exact conversation with her last week," Diggle says. "You two are the most insecure people I've ever met who are completely perfect for each other. Get your acts together. Most people would give up anything to have a relationship like the two of you."

Oliver never gets the chance to say anything to that statement. Instead he and Diggle are distracted by the ringing and pinging of every cell phone around them. Felicity gets in touch and him and Dig watch Nickel die. Oliver and Diggle part ways and Oliver heads home. He needs to see Felicity and he knows she'll be hard at work on locating the man who killed Nickel.

He finds her sitting at her computer typing away. Her hands are shaking and finally when she swears at a miskeyed entry, he interrupts her. Spinning her around in her desk chair he just hugs her to him. She takes these things much harder than he does. She's still new at all of this and he wants to protect her from this. He doesn't want her to be corrupted by the darkness and evil in his life.

She looks at him with determined eyes. She wants to get this guy. Forgotten are their issues with his mother or other things they've been dealing with. They need to get this guy and stop him from hurting other people.

"You're nothing like him," Felicity says when she turns back to her computer screen. "Don't even think that."

"It's hard not to see the similarities."

"You are a surgeon. You are about precision and minimizing the risk. This guy just threw a bomb at corruption. He doesn't care who he hurts. We need to get him."

He doesn't say anything but moves forward to massage her shoulders gently as she works. She knows he struggles with doing what is necessary to protect the city. He always struggles with killing or harming even when he knows he needs to do so. He can feel that darkness inside swirling, ready to infect others. She always knows when the darkness is getting to be too much.

Together they work well into the night trying to locate any information on the man in the video. Hitting wall after wall, they can only hope another video will lead them to him. Instead the two fall into bed and try to forget a man is out there taking it upon himself to publicly execute criminals. Sleep doesn't come easy for either of them.


Laurel knows her parents need to take a break from their ridiculous plan to find Sara. She knows Sara's gone and she had hoped her father would explain some things to her mother. Instead her mother roped him in. It's irritating and problematic. So she decides to distract them. They'll go to lunch.

Inside Big Belly Burger, she freezes. Her parents nearly crash into her but she can't help it. Sitting at one of the booths is Oliver and Felicity and he's kissing her. Nearby is Oliver's bodyguard chatting with the waitress. Her parents slip around her and notice the show as well.

The bodyguard, whose name escapes her, drops three drinks on the table and slides across from the couple. Quickly the three are laughing and joking around while they wait for their food. The waitress comes over to seat them and ends up putting them almost next to Oliver, Felicity, and the other guy.

"Oliver actually tricked you into meeting with a realtor? Didn't you go to MIT?" the bodyguard asks.

"Don't remind me," Felicity says. "At least he didn't buy the house."

"I wouldn't buy a house without talking to you. I didn't even like the house," Oliver explains. "I just want to start looking and you are being stubborn."

"I'm being realistic!" Felicity says. "We've only been together four months!"

"Six."

"Oliver how are you getting six months? December, January, February, March...that's four."

"October through now," Oliver explains. "We've technically been together since I got back."

"That's...not technically true but I get your point."

"You two are adorable," the bodyguard responds. "It's almost sickening."

"Is it a crime to want to settle down with someone you love?" Oliver asks.

The Lance's are distracted by the waitress and they all miss the response. By the time they have an unobstructed view, Oliver and the bodyguard have vanished. It's just Felicity sitting there playing with her drink straw. She's smiling and stealing fries off what looks to be Oliver's plate.

"So Queen has a new girlfriend," her father grumbles.

"Yeah...Felicity," Laurel offers. "She works at Queen Consolidated in the I.T. department."

"Computers? That sounds too complicated for a Queen."

"Actually Oliver's really smart," Felicity says turning to look at them. Laurel can't help the jealousy that rolls through her. "He's brilliant but in different ways. He can run circles around me when it is not tech related. Oh are you Laurel's parents? Wait I remember you! You were the cop who was questioning Oliver right after he got back."

The introductions go around and Laurel desperately wants to stop talking to her. She doesn't want to see Oliver and Felicity together. She just wants to eat her burger and take her parents home. She doesn't need this right now.

"So you and Oliver are looking for a house?" Dinah asks quietly.

"Oh...well Oliver wants to buy a house. I'm okay with a larger apartment because once he moved in, it has been cramped. Plus he's huge and needs more space. He's trying to talk me into it."

"Unsuccessfully," Oliver says upon his return. He greets Laurel's parents and her before pulling out his wallet. Laying the money on the table he reaches for Felicity's hand. "Feel better?"

"I told you you didn't need to cheer me up," she says. "Where's John?"

"Getting the car," Oliver responds. He kisses her forehead when she stands. "Cheering you up is part of my job."

"It was nice meeting you," Felicity says to Laurel and her parents. Oliver waves and calls out a goodbye to the waitress. Laurel watches them leave, arm-in-arm and smiling.

"Oliver is so different," Dinah offers. "He looks like he's grown up. It's serious between the two of them."

"He'll just hurt her like he does the rest," Lance comments bitterly.

"No. He...he's different," Dinah responds looking after them. "He seems happy. Maybe everyone can move on and get some closure. We can find Sara and...everyone can move on."

Laurel looks after them too and then looks down at her hands. She knows Oliver and Felicity have been getting more and more serious. He moved in with her and they're talking houses. That is supposed to be her. It is supposed to be them. Instead he's having it with her.


"This guy is good," Felicity says. The two guys are sitting behind her, watching as she works. She keeps trying to get through to pinpoint the man who abducted Nickel. Felicity is tense as she works, snapping at Oliver when he makes a tech suggestion. He shrugs it off. She's been tightly wound for a few days now. They'll deal with that once they deal with this.

Diggle has been on the phone with one of his contacts from the NSA. The information is not particularly useful. All it tells them is something happened to this guy a year ago but it's not enough. They need much more.

The feed goes live while they are strategizing their next move. The man now has the D.A. and taunts him with his failure to protect the people of the city. As the Savior talks, Felicity is able to I.D. him through various clues. Joseph Falk, a transit officer, is behind all of this. Felicity is stressed as she tries to get a lock on Joseph Falk's position.

"You're fine Felicity," Oliver soothes. "You can do this."

She doesn't react as she types but he rests his hand on her neck. Diggle watches the two of them and moves over to get some of the weaponry together. They have less than ten minutes but maybe something they have can be useful.

Oliver takes off the second Felicity has the location. Forgoing all weaponry and his costume, he rushes off. Felicity and Diggle work to figure out where they are exactly but Oliver can't find him. Rushing through the abandoned building, he knows the space doesn't match. He checks every door but still can't find him. Time is running out and he doesn't know what do it.

Oliver rushes to the next location, hopping roofs and spinning down fire escapes. He still can't figure out where to go. The buildings don't match and when he gets to the location he finds an empty field. Oliver knows he's yelling at her but he can't stop.

Oliver is angry at himself, angry at Carnahan, angry at the world. He shouldn't have failed. He should have gotten there in time. They should have stopped him.


When Oliver walks down the steps to the Foundry he knows something is wrong. He finds Felicity standing in front of his arrows, holding one of his sharper ones in her hands. She's been crying and he hates that. He stands in front of her and gently takes the arrow from her.

"Where's Dig?" he asks softly.

"I asked him to leave...in my loud voice."

"This wasn't your fault Felicity. I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"I was the one who was supposed to find him and I was the one who sent you to the wrong location," she says tearing up again. "I've never seen anybody die Oliver."

He tugs her into his arms and rubs her back. He remembers the first time he saw someone who was depending on him die. He remembers every second of it and no matter what Felicity will always remember this moment. All he can do is be there for her.

"This is the thing with what we do. Sometimes we lose."

"I'm glad you're here," she whispers. "If we weren't together and I was seeing someone else...I don't know how I'd tell him about today."

"You can always tell me anything Felicity. You are never alone," he says gently. "No matter what happens between us or to us, I am always here for you."

"I feel the same way," she offers. She pulls back from him for a moment and just watches him. "You can tell me anything and you are never alone either. Okay? I know you sometimes think you are alone but you are not."

"I know."

It's been hard for them the past few days. He leads her out of the Foundry, unwilling to let either of them wallow. Instead he takes her to the park and buys her an ice cream cone. Together they sit by one of the fountains and just relax. Sometimes they need this more than anything. Sitting there in silence sometimes brings them greater solace than talking.

Neither say a word when Dig sits down next to Felicity. The three just sit there and mourn the loss of someone they didn't even know. He didn't deserve to die like that regardless of who he was.

Felicity doesn't even realize when both John and Oliver slip their arms around her cementing the three of them together. She knows it's strange, the three of them. They never should have found each other but somehow they have. Somehow this one moment brings them together more than anything before it. They're a team. They're the team.

With that knowledge something changes for her. She has been insecure about her relationship with Oliver until now. She always thought they would drift or he would get bored. She has thought she would lose sight of herself or something terrible would happen. Instead she suddenly knows. This is it for her. Oliver is the one and this mission they have will make them stronger. She finally has the friends she has always wanted and the acceptance she craves. Somehow in a billionaire playboy and a soldier she finds exactly what she has always wanted.

Taking both of their arms she drags them to their feet. They have work to do and they don't have time to wallow. They need to stop this guy before he kills again. Between the three of them, they can do it. They might lose sometimes but they can still make a difference.

"Come on Team Hood," she demands.

"We're not calling ourselves that," Oliver grumbles.


Oliver has never seen Thea this broken up. The newest person to get kidnapped is her friend or someone more. He's not sure but either way he knows he can't lose this one. They have to save this kid. Felicity and Diggle are already hard at work, struggling to figure out where Roy Harper is being held.

Diggle keeps listening to the noise and figures out it's a subway car. Together the three map out where the Savior is headed. Oliver suits up and heads out. Felicity runs the comms and Diggle takes off to help intercept the subway car. They won't lose this one.

Felicity and Diggle watch helplessly as Roy Harper begs to die. He has given up and admits he's nothing and no one will miss him. Felicity glances at the upstairs cameras and sees Tommy comforting Thea. Shaking her head and refocusing she tries to find other ways to help Oliver. She tries to figure out if she can stop the train but the subways lines are older. She can't hack in.

She listens to the conversation as Oliver tries to talk down Joseph. She hears it, the arrow striking flesh and bone. She's heard it so many times since she started working with Oliver and Diggle. Someone died tonight by Oliver's hand. Her heart thuds because she knows this will hurt him. Every single death causes Oliver immense pain even when he pretends it doesn't.

Roy Harper is safe and sound according to the police files. Felicity waits quietly for Oliver to return, knowing Diggle will handle any clean-up in the subway. It's Oliver who will need her. She straightens her work place and considers the loss of Joseph Falk. It's hard to reconcile what they do with what the world tells them is right and wrong. A man died tonight because of Oliver. At the same time that man killed two other people and would have killed a third. What is right here? Are they any different than Joseph Falk?

She turns around when Oliver enters the Foundry. He's tired and she can see it in the way he holds himself. Already he's torturing himself over the death of Joseph Falk. He's already running over the situation in his mind trying to find ways he could have prevented it. It's a typical human endeavor but she worries nonetheless.

She hugs him to her and just stands there with him. He's still in costume, his face smeared with grease. His quiver is still on his back and his bow is still in hand. Sometimes it's easy to separate these two halves of him. So many people just see the Hood. They don't see the man under it. She does. She always does.


Oliver watches as Thea and her friend Roy embrace. He can feel Tommy nearby watching it unfold as well. The soft touch on his back has the tension leaking out of him. Felicity slides next to him and puts her arm around his waist, resting her head against his shoulder. He slid her closer and just watched the sea of bodies move on the dance floor.

"So how was your day?" she asks. He smiles and rests his head against hers. This is his favorite part of the day. It's something he missed every day while he was away. She always asks. Every day she asks him about his day even when they've spent the whole day together. He likes listening to her tell him about her day even if he's spent all day with her. It's something so normal that many people take for granted. He never takes any of it for granted.

"It was pretty normal," he replies. "How about yours?"

"It was really boring," she says softly. "There were no explosions or anything. Did I mention the whole Queen Consolidated thing? I actually had three different computers today that had some type of unidentified liquid poured on them. I'm this close to petitioning upper management to either ban beverages near computers or require sippy cups."

"You need to get out of the IT department," Oliver says. "I could make a call…"

"No. I'm doing this on my own or at least under my own merit," she says firmly. "No calls."

"Okay, okay."

"I want to admit something," she begins, "Today has been a terrible day and I may have wanted to feel better so I may have used your laptop to look at houses. MAY!"

"I'm wearing you down?"

"Just a tiny bit." She holds her pointer finger and thumb in a pinch in front of his face. "Just a little."

"I'll take it," he says.

"I'm still not sure we're ready for that but it's okay to look ahead," she replies. She snuggles closer to him and just watches the sea of people.

For tonight he lets go of the Undertaking, the Savior, and all the other issues they are facing. He leaves his mother behind and her not accepting Felicity. Tonight he just wants to think about his future with the woman beside him. Tonight he wants to dream.