Chapter 3 Choices
AN: Thank you for the warm welcome back – it's nice to be among Arrow friends again! For those adult friends, I have updated Intimacy on Archive of Our Own with an exploration of the return of Olicity smut in S5 (same pen name for that site too)! Pls check it out if you are of age and so inclined!
*Please see Chapter 2 for SPOILER ALERT and DISCLAIMER!*
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"Where exactly did she leave things?"
Taking a shuddering breath, Felicity moved forward to briefly hold Oliver's hand before facing Curtis. "She was trying to mass produce a serum to create an army of super strong soldiers to help Slade destroy Oliver and Starling City."
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Felicity wasn't surprised that it took only a few long nights to make the lair feel more like home again. It was an easy habit to fall into, though not quite as easy as watching Oliver train. Pulling her gaze from his shirtless chest, she reviewed the latest weekly reports. The violence had abruptly stopped but they didn't feel good about that change. Instead, it felt like they were in the eye of the storm. Powerful and unknown forces seemed to be gathering around them with the worst still to come. Nightmares returned to plague her again as she worried about another Mirakuru army of soldiers terrorizing the city and trying to kill Oliver.
"Anything new?" Oliver dropped down from the salmon ladder.
"I can't find the woman anywhere in the city." Felicity blew out a harsh breath when she replied without saying Isabel's name. She leaned back in her desk chair and dropped her head back. It felt like she was missing something but she couldn't figure out what it was.
Understanding her frustration and exhaustion, Oliver spoke softly. "Take a break, get some sleep. I'll check out the last hot spots later tonight and see if I can find anything to help."
She agreed reluctantly and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. She didn't even wake up when Oliver pressed a gentle kiss against her temple before suiting up for his night job. Strange noises jarred her awake and Felicity was surprised to find with both Oliver and Curtis in the room. As soon as she saw Oliver was holding a hand to his ribs, she gasped and jumped up. "What happened?"
Oliver met Felicity's eyes and answered her challenge. "I told you I was going to check out the hot spots."
"Later, you said later. I assumed you meant after we had a plan and back-up for you. Not on your own, Oliver." Felicity moved closer and peered at the various injuries on his arms before wincing at the much larger gash along his ribs.
"If you haven't noticed, Felicity, there is no back-up. Everyone's gone." Oliver growled - his own frustration and exhaustion obvious. The irony of his situation wasn't lost on him. He had wanted to do everything alone and had somehow found a Team. He wanted his Team and found himself alone. Taking a deep breath, he stepped closer to Felicity and spoke again.
"We needed confirmation of someone using the serum and I got it. Near the—"
"You got confirmation all over your own body." Felicity mumbled while she gathered med supplies.
"Near the Bay, there's a closed shipping plant. There were easily a hundred soldiers - lined up like robots. Fully armed, black masks. No sign of Isabel or anyone else." The pictures in Oliver's mind alternated from the night's discovery to the night Mirakuru soldiers had attacked Starling City.
Felicity had the same images of the previous battle filling her head once more. Oliver's earlier words scared her even more though. He was right - there was no one around to help him. What terrified her though was that the fact wouldn't stop him from trying. She might not be strong enough to be with him outside of the Team but she was still his partner. There had to be something more she could do.
"The super soldiers - Slade Wilson, right?" Curtis hadn't known as much about heroes and villains then as he did now. He did know they needed more information and Oliver needed someone in the field. Moving to his computer, he started bringing up maps and grids for the area Oliver noted.
Closing his eyes, Oliver rested against a med table and breathed deeply through the pain. He kept his eyes shut even when he sensed Felicity's presence. The touch of her hand at his side brought comfort and the need to see her.
She could feel Oliver's eyes on her. Wanting to distract herself, Felicity spoke quietly. "I need to collect samples of the blood. If any of it is theirs then we might be able to test it. We also need to make sure you aren't infected."
Watching from the corner of his eye as he worked, Curtis noted Oliver's carefully blank face while Felicity cleaned and bandaged the wounds. Some looked deep to him but considering the scars covering Oliver's body, he assumed the man had extensive medical knowledge. Oliver hadn't even flinched while Felicity probed and scraped for several minutes but her hands trembled slightly. When the last piece of tape was applied, Oliver jerked up.
"Ow."
Felicity jumped back but then couldn't stop a grin when she saw Oliver's smile. She slapped his uninjured side lightly and rolled her eyes. They stared at each other for several moments before both moved as one. Felicity stepped forward to press into Oliver just as he opened and then closed his arms around her. The tight hug brought a familiar feeling of comfort to both. Her words were whispered against his neck.
"I'm just glad you came back."
Both heard the unspoken words 'this time'. Their work was dangerous. There was never a guarantee of safety or a guarantee of tomorrow for either of them.
"I think we have enough blood to test." Curtis ignored the couple's hug to provide the update. "It will take some time."
"Time is good. We have meetings – Oliver, be at Palmer Tech at nine for the meeting with Lillian Worth - and you need to rest after that." Felicity stepped back to find some distance from Oliver. The distance allowed her to see his bandages and the pain in his eyes though. Unable to resist, she moved close enough to rest a hand on his arm.
"I'll change those bandages tomorrow."
Oliver gave her a nod. He resisted the need to pull her back into his arms or to ask her to stay. Both Curtis and Felicity left him alone once more. His memories pulled him back to the darkness of the past. Embracing the darkness made it easier to fight. When you didn't believe you had a future, the outcome of the battle no longer mattered. He still wanted a future though. He wanted a Team. He wanted Felicity.
Felicity was glad there was work to be done late into the night again. The recent Team Arrow work meant she was slightly behind and had to review a lot of data quickly. It was a welcome distraction considering how much she wanted to eat a carton of ice cream and cry. She had had more than she could ever have dreamed of but she had walked away. It had been too easy to lose herself, too hard to be strong. Oliver needed a partner on the Team and a partner in life but she had failed him. Unable to focus on Palmer Tech, she switched to Curtis' reports and her own searches. She needed a plan to keep Oliver safe. The city needed Oliver…and so did she.
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