When the Darkness Comes
Chapter Five: I'm sorry, but I've had enough...
"I'm leaving."
Oliver looked up at Felicity as she stood in front of his desk. "Haha. Very funny, Felicity." He said.
"I'm being serious, Oliver." Felicity replied as she clenched her fists really tihht that her knuckles turned white.
"What?" Oliver looked at her at confusion as he tried to process what she said.
"I said I'm leaving, Oliver. For good."
"What are you talking about? You can't leave. We need you here."
"I know you do, and I'm sorry for that. It's just that, I need to find myself again. My world revolved around you, the Arrow and the mission for 2 years that I set aside all my needs and wants and my life, for you and the mission. And I just can't do that anymore. I have to love myself for once, put myself first."
"Can't you just find yourself here?!"
"I can't. I'm sorry."
"Now you're just being selfish."
Felicity's eyes widened at Oliver's accusation. "I'm being selfish?! Me?!" Her voice laced with disbelief. She can't believe he would say that to her. After everything they've been through. "I gave up my life, my dreams for you and your crusade and you're calling me selfish?!"
"Yes. You know we need you here and you're leaving, just like that? You just have to 'find yourself' right when there's a mad man out there threatening to destroy the city and everyone I love?!" Oliver said in a loud voice. "Is this about Sara? Are you jealous of her?"
"Whoa. WHAT?!"
"Admit it, Felicity. After Sara arrived, you have been different."
"I'm surprised you even noticed. And FYI, this isn't about you or your little sexcapade with dear, old Sara Lance. This is about me, and me prtecting myself from you!"
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"You remember Russia, right? The whole 'I can't be with anyone I could care about?'. Well, you know what? Fuck You, Oliver. You knew exactly that I had feelings for you and then you go and do what? Sleep with Sara after you said that to me. Can't be with someone you could really care about? Huh. That's a load of bull! Because if you can't be with someone you could care about, you wouldn't be with her, and if you really care about me, if you really are my friend, you'd let me go, because being around you, is hurting too much. Can't you see that? Or are you just that oblivious? Stuck in your own little dark world?"
Oliver didn't answer and avoided making eye contact with her.
"Whatever. I'm taking the day off. I already sent my resignation letter to HR. You will receive it tomorrow."
Oliver still didn't look at her, and just nodded at her. She turned around and started walking to the glass doors. As she was walking, she felt Oliver's gaze on her. When she got to the doors, she turned around to look at Oliver one more time before turning back around to open the door and left without another word...
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Oliver stared through the doors to Felicity's empty desk. He can't believe Felicity is leaving. As Oliver got over the shock of what was happening, he sat back down in his desk chair and looked out the windows, in to the sky as he tried to make sense of it all. What went so wring that his favorite IT girl would leave the team? As he thought this, he stood up again, grabbed a stapler and threw it across the room, breaking a glass wall in the process. He sighed and started walking around the room. He heard the the door open and saw Diggle standing there with a look of understanding and disappointment in his face.
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As Diggle drove Oliver to Queen Mansion, he noticed the distant look on the younger man's face. He wondered if Felicity told him about her plans to leave.
"A penny for your thoughts?" The older man said.
"Felicity's leaving." Oliver said after a few moments of silence. When Diggle didn't answer or react to his words, he realized that he already knew. "She told you. When?"
When the older man still didn't respond, Oliver leaned forward in the backseat and ground out, "When, Diggle?"
"She told me last night."
"And you didn't think about giving me a heads-up?"
"It was her secret to tell, not mine. And she asked me not to tell you, that she wanted to do it on herself."
"Did she tell you why she was leaving?"
"Yes. And as much as I oppose to it, I think you should let her."
Oliver just leaned back in the seat, sighed and took Diggle's words under advisement.
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Felicity arrived at her apartment after leaving QC and as she unlocked the door, she felt her insticts kick in and she noticed that something was very wrong. She dropped her bag by the door and removed her shoes and held it out in front of her so she could use it as a weapon. When she moved her gaze around her apartment, she saw a figure sitting at her couch, facing the door with his back at the window, the moon light casting a shadow on his face. As she was just about to turn around and make a run for it, her door suddenly closed and another figure appeared in front of the closed door, and another at her kitchen. She breathed deeply, trying not to let the panic boiling in her chest overcome her mind. She looked around trying to find a way out. With no escape route available, the only thing left to do was throw her shoes at the figures standing by her door and at the other one standing by her kitchen and she sprinted past the couch when she felt arms wrapped around her waist.
Suddenly the lights were on inside her apartment and when the one that grabbed her finally set her down, she turned around to face her intruders, only to feel shocked at who she saw...