This one goes kind of AU as of last week's episode. I wrote it last week and I wasn't sure about it but I think I'm happy with it now. Good news, I've actually got two more already written for this series so those should be out soon (although not too soon, as I've already posted twice tonight.)

Anyways, as always, Thanks for everyone who's read, reviewed, favorited and followed this story. Enjoy!

"We'll find them, Oliver."

Roy's assurances did nothing to temper the rage rising within him. His swallowed the roar that was clawing its way up his throat and surged forwards. His movements were automatic and fueled by the frustration that was doing its best to consume him. His knuckles cracked painfully against the training dummy. The force behind his latest punch caused the dummy to splinter and then break.

His chest was heaving as he spun on his heel and leapt up onto the salmon ladder. His breaths were escaping too fast and his lungs burned as he jerked his way upwards. His body was exhausted but his mind wouldn't rest. Images from his past and present merged with the future that Slade planned for him and he just couldn't stay still.

Dig said he was punishing himself.

And he was. Because they were out there. Slade had taken them. And it was all his damn fault.

He reached the top and flipped himself upside down. His knees hooked around the bar as he started a torturous round of hanging sit ups.

Sara had convinced him months ago that she was always going to be Slade's target, regardless of their relationship. It was the only reason he'd allowed himself the selfish pleasure of her company. Because he'd known the truth in her words. She had lived when Shado died and even if Slade blamed Oliver alone, he'd always hunt Sara for surviving.

His eyes wandered to the empty chair in front of the computers and a low snarl escaped his lips.

Felicity being taken was his fault. He had brought her into this life. He'd selfishly become attached to the quirky blonde from the first moment he'd met her. She was the first person to elicit amusement and genuine lightheartedness from him since the Queen's Gambit had gone down. One awkward ramble and some blind faith later and he had become addicted to her light. He found himself going back to see her every chance he had and appreciated the fact that she ignored his horrific excuses. He drew her into his world, not just because he needed her help, but because he needed her. Felicity was everything good in a world so full of bad and he'd coveted her.

And now she was gone.

He couldn't catch his breath and he wasn't sure if it was the physical exhaustion. The snarling ribbon of fear that was twisting through his veins had finally found its voice. You're never going to see her again. She'll die and it will be all your fault.

Oliver dropped heavily to the training mat and sunk to his knees. This was all his fault.

She was his best friend. She was the only person in his life who truly knew him and had never judged him. She thought he was a hero.

He knew without a doubt that she believed he'd save them. She had unwavering belief in him and she would hold onto that.

And he would fail her. He'd already done it countless times already.

He failed her when he left her buried underneath a building after the Undertaking. He failed her when he allowed the Count to live the first time, and the second. He'd allowed petty jealousy to twist his behaviour towards her after Barry Allen walked into their lives. He'd questioned her abilities and had put her in a place where she felt the need to prove herself to him. He had almost gotten her killed more times than he could count at this point.

He failed her when he slept with Isobel.

And he failed her when he chose to be with Sara. Felicity had never said a word. She'd held her chin high and had been nothing but her usual lovely self to Sara. But he'd hurt her. He'd seen it in the way she pushed herself to be better, in the way he'd caught her training alone in the basement.

He'd made her question just how much she meant to him. Because of the life I lead, I just think that it's better to not be with someone that I could really care about.

And then he and Sara had gotten together.

A better man would have talked to her about it. A good man would have explained his reasons.

But what would he have said? Because he cared about Sara and he was with her anyways. That he didn't need to watch Sara's back the way he would if he was with Felicity? That he and Sara were cut from the same cloth and so irreversibly damaged that he knew he couldn't hurt Sara?

All of those things felt true but she would have scoffed. Because Felicity always saw things differently than he did. Felicity felt things in ways that he and Sara weren't even capable of anymore.

So he hadn't said anything. He'd ignored the warning bells in his head that he was hurting her again. He'd ignored her.

And now she was gone.

She had no idea just how much he cared about her.

But Slade had figured it out. Slade had picked up on the fact that he was keeping his EA at an arm's length for a reason. He'd seen everything that Oliver had struggled not to feel for her. He'd seen what Oliver had successfully hidden from Felicity.

He couldn't live without her.

And now he might have to.

A hand landed on his shoulder and Oliver realised he was on his knees, staring at his empty hands. His breath had long since evened and the sweat on his skin had cooled.

"I'm going to go grab something to eat." Dig told him. There was an edge to his voice that had never been there before. But Felicity had never been in so much danger before.

He nodded and his friend squeezed his shoulder once before turning and leaving the lair. He scrambled to his feet and walked by Roy who was taking his own frustrations out on a punching bag. He felt the boy's gaze on him as he stalked out of the room and towards the shower.

Sara and Felicity had been missing for 87 hours when Slade finally called Oliver. The first time.

"I assume by now you've realised that I've taken something of yours." Slade taunted.

"I swear to God, if you hurt them. I'll fu-" Oliver growled.

Slade cut him off. "Tsk tsk. Language, Mr. Queen." He chuckled in a way that made Oliver's skin crawl. "I think you need some time to think about your temper."

Oliver's mouth popped open in shock.

"I'll call you again soon."

It was 32 hours and 27 minutes later when Slade called again.

"How much sleep have you gotten lately, old friend?" Slade wondered in lieu of greeting.

"Slade." His teeth ground together to keep from saying anything else.

"You must be quite tired. Probably not getting enough sleep." He laughed. "Don't want to make our final battle too easy on me, do you?"

A growl ripped its way through his teeth.

"Hmmm. Not quite begging yet, I see." Slade's tone held nothing but amusement. "Well luckily, I have all the time in the world." He paused. "But do they? Something to think on."

Oliver Queen was drunk. He was ten sheets to the wind, forget three, and he was half-hoping he'd die from it. Because he hadn't been hopeful to begin with. But it had been 92 hours, 38 minutes and 12 seconds since Slade had last called.

They were both dead for all he knew. Slade's plan might be to call him once a week for the rest of his life to remind him to fight for something that might already be lost.

He had feared the choice that Slade would force on him. But what if Slade had already chosen for him?

Fatigue overwhelmed him but when he slept, he dreamt. His dreams were full of bleeding and broken women, usually Felicity. His mind put images to his fears as he imagined the ways Slade was torturing them.

Oliver laid his cheek on the cool bar of the darkened club and his tears pooled on the counter as his eyes closed.

Oliver dodged Roy's fist and sidestepped to gain the upper hand. The two of them whirled around the training mats furiously as Diggle watched to the side. Oliver was tiring so he feinted left before ducking right and taking Roy's feet out from under him. Roy landed squarely on his back and Oliver pulled him to his feet. Diggle tossed them both a bottle of water.

"Your control has improved, Roy." Dig encouraged as they cooled off.

Roy had been singularly focused on bringing Felicity home and it had helped temper the warring emotions deep within. The two had developed a friendship over the past months and Oliver knew that Roy was desperate to get his friend back.

Sara and Felicity had been gone for three weeks.

The third phone call from Slade had been the wake-up call that Oliver had needed. He'd been nursing the worst hangover of his life and almost praying for death when his phone buzzed.

"Oliver, my boy. Are we feeling desperate?" Slade wondered.

"Please, Slade. God. Please, I'll do anything." Oliver begged.

Slade had laughed so loudly that Oliver had pulled the phone from his ear. He jumped to his feet and began pacing.

"Ah! You're weakening, Kid."

Oliver was quiet for a moment. "Are they still alive?"

Slade was silent and Oliver checked his phone three times to make sure he hadn't hung up.

"Oliver?"

His knees hit the hard pavement when Felicity's voice filtered through the phone. A hand clutched at his chest as his breathing quickened.

"Felicity, Oh Felicity." His voice was thick with tears as he murmured her name like the prayer that it was.

"I'm okay, Oliver." She sounded so tired. "We're both okay and-"

"Ah ah ah, Miss Smoak." Slade chided. "I think you need some more time, old friend."

The phone beeped to indicate the dropped call.

"Felicity!" Oliver roared even though he knew she was gone.

Slade had made a fatal error that night. He thought that he'd drive Oliver crazy by allowing him to hear her voice. But he'd done the opposite. Oliver now had a single-minded purpose; bring them home.

His mother had taken over CEO duties and he spent every minute training, sleeping, eating and searching for Slade. He was done sulking, done drinking himself to death.

He was going to find them, he was going to find her and Slade Wilson would pay.

He found them one month, two weeks, 6 days, 43 minutes and 17 seconds after he realised Felicity was missing.

He'd torn apart the Glades in his search before moving onto Starling City. With the help of Detective Lance, Nyssa, Dig, Roy and the Suicide Squad they finally found them.

And the fact that Slade had been keeping them in the mansion next to the Queen Estate the whole time? Oliver owed the bastard another arrow for that one.

He'd found them by accident.

A fresh argument with his mother about responsibilities and priorities had driven him from the house. He'd stormed out of the mansion, past his bike and just started walking. The lair was so empty without Felicity that he didn't want to be there when it wasn't necessary. So he walked and wandered the vast estate for the first time since he'd come home.

He'd almost reached the property lines when he recognized the blue SUV parked in front of the neighbour's home. He quickly climbed a tree that overlooked the yard and his eyes narrowed on the license plate.

Everything after that was a blur. Various meetings with the assorted teams later and they were all advancing on the home that Slade had been living in for quite some time. Shots were exchanged and assassins fought hand to hand.

Detective Lance was circling around back with the Suicide Squad and he knew that Deadshot was ready. He pushed through the mansion, sidestepping the scuffles between his allies and Slade's.

He was expecting to find two women chained to a wall, or kneeling on a cold floor bloody and bruised. He was completely thrown off but filled with relief when he found them sitting together on a couch in the living room.

"So glad you could join us, old friend." Slade announced from his place across the room. He was sitting at a heavy wooden desk, watching Oliver with amusement.

Oliver's eyes slid from Slade to Sara who was closest to the man. She seemed tired but unharmed. She gave him a half-smile before he focused on Felicity. He released the breath he didn't know he'd been holding when he saw that her beautiful skin was unmarked. Her blue eyes were full of tears as she smiled at him. I knew you'd come.

He cleared his throat as he stared at her. She was alright. She was alive. He closed his eyes for just a moment before he turned back to face Slade.

"I must say, I expected a much more broken man." Slade's words were full of disappointment. "Perhaps I overestimated your feelings for these women?"

Oliver's eyes narrowed but he didn't respond. "What's your plan, Slade?"

He could hear the sounds of his allies fighting through the comm in his ear. They were winning.

"Well, to be honest I had hoped to drag this out a little longer. I had vague notions of sending you photos of your lovelies bruised and broken."

Oliver's jaw tightened painfully.

"I played with the idea of sending you pieces of them, bit by bit." Slade continued.

Oliver's hand tightened around his bow as red started to cloud his vision.

"I could kill them here, at your feet."

Oliver stared at the man before stepping forward. "If you planned on killing them, you'd have done it already." He moved to stand between the women and Slade. "You just wanted me weak for the final fight."

"And are you?" Slade wondered, pulling the swords from behind his back.

Oliver raised his bow, nodding towards the women at his back. "Get out. And don't come back."

He felt the air shift behind him but neither left. "Sara, get her the hell out of here."

A light hand, free of its usual polish touched his arm. And then they were gone.

"Are you ready to die, Oliver?"

It had been a close fight. The two of them had been moving even before Sara and Felicity made the hallway. She had wanted so badly to turn back but she knew that she couldn't help him in a fight. She also knew that his attention would be divided if she was there. So she'd let Sara pull her away from the sounds of violence that they'd left behind.

And he'd almost died. Slade's blade had sliced through his chest as Oliver had shoved an arrow up through his chin and out of the top of his head. Deadshot had added a few bullets just to make sure that Slade was well and truly dead. After Oliver had collapsed into a pool of his own blood.

Quentin Lance shifted at her side, his arm wrapped tightly around her shoulders. And now one more person knew Oliver's secret.

Oliver had thought ahead and had come in plain clothes. Thank God. Because explaining the leather to the paramedics would have been impossible. His bow and quiver had disappeared somewhere into the back of Lance's cruiser but she wasn't worried. Lance was so relieved to have Sara on his other side that he'd made no remarks about Oliver's identity. He couldn't really be surprised anyway.

Felicity's eyes were puffy and sore as she forced them open and stared at the people in the waiting room. Dig's hand was in Lyla's and Thea Queen was wrapped around Roy. Moira Queen sat across the room, glaring in her general direction. The Suicide Squad had been carted back off to their cells, but not before Felicity had given Floyd Lawton a hug of gratitude. Oliver had been down for the count and Slade was still moving when Deadshot finished the job.

She'd hugged a serial killer yesterday.

And Oliver still hadn't woken up.

It had been almost two months since she'd last seen Oliver. When he walked into the mansion she'd wanted to grab him and never let him go.

Instead she'd allowed herself only a touch of the arm before walking away from him for what could possibly be the last time.

She would do anything to talk to him again, to hear him say her name the way that only Oliver had ever said it. She wanted to fight with him when he was being pigheaded and worry about him while he was out saving the world.

He was in surgery for seven hours and thirty-three minutes.

And he'd been now unconscious for 23 hours, 17 minutes and 7 seconds.

The doctors hadn't cleared him for visitors yet. And she knew that despite how she was feeling, how she felt about him, that she would be one of the last to be allowed to see him.

Because his family was here. And so was his girlfriend.

So she'd settle for waiting out the storm and praying to whatever deity was listening. Because Oliver Queen was going to live.

He had to.

Oliver Queen was still 'sleeping'. She called it sleeping because her heart couldn't handle the ramifications of another man she cared about being in a coma. She couldn't handle the idea of Oliver Queen not waking up.

It had been 4 days, 18 hours, 32 minutes and 1 second since he'd lost consciousness.

The personnel in the hospital changed every 12 hours. And the occupants in the waiting room had all changed clothes. But only Detective Lance had left, and only because the law needed upholding, especially with the Arrow in the ICU.

Thea Queen was still wrapped in Roy's arms. Lyla's head was against John's shoulder. Sara Lance sat at Felicity's side quietly.

And Moira Queen was still glaring at her.

Thea and Moira had of course gotten the abridged version of events. But both of them knew that Sara and Felicity had been kidnapped. And they both knew that Oliver had been nearly killed during a rescue mission. Neither of them understood why he had felt the need to tag along.

And so Moira Queen was glaring at her. Not Sara, just Felicity.

Felicity loved Oliver. But there wasn't a person on Earth that she hated more than his mother.

Sara's head hit the wall with a dull thunk and a soft snore escaped her lips.

Perhaps the worst part about it all was that neither of them had ever been harmed. Oliver and the team had been out of their minds with worry but Slade had never laid a finger on either one of them.

Terror had reigned supreme when he'd snatched her away in the dead of night. But each day the fear for her own safety diminished slightly. Her fear for Oliver replaced her own.

Because Slade Wilson was a lot of things but no matter how much she thinks he wanted to, no matter how badly it would have hurt Oliver, he hadn't wanted to harm a woman. She'd seen it in his eyes a few days after she and Sara were kidnapped.

Boredom had been a problem as the only entertainment in the house was a bookcase of rather lame novels. She and Sara were kept in separate rooms and weren't allowed to speak when they were together.

But he'd never physically harmed either one of them.

She'd heard the terror in Oliver's voice the day that Slade handed her the phone. And she knew that he believed the worst. He thought they were either dead, or near death.

And now he was the one in danger.

She was allowed to see him on the sixth day of his 'sleep'. Moira had argued but Thea had cut her mother down in a way that had shocked them all.

"I swear to God, Mom. If you don't let her in to see him, all of my things will be moved out by the end of the damn day!" Thea sniped as she faced off with her mother. "We want Ollie to wake up. He's been out of his mind the last two months worrying about her. You are not keeping them apart now."

Needless to say, she'd had a hard time looking at Sara after that one.

She'd been sitting by his side for 17 hours, 38 minutes and a handful of seconds with her hand covering his when his finger twitched. She was half-asleep so she almost missed it but then he did it again. She slowly moved her gaze from the bruises on his face to the hand that she covered with her own. She brushed her thumb against his palm and his middle finger curled.

"Oliver?" She whispered.

2 minutes and 57 seconds later his left eyebrow twitched. In the back of her mind she realised that she should be shouting for a doctor. But she couldn't look away.

She had spent months visiting Barry and he hadn't so much as sighed.

"Oliver?" Her voice was barely louder than a whisper. "Oliver?"

His lips pressed together into a tight line and his eyebrows furrowed. His chest was rising higher and falling lower. Her grip tightened on his fingers as she willed him to open his eyes. The swelling had faded slightly since he'd come in and his face now resembled its former glory.

"Oliver, please wake up."

A low groan rumbled through his chest and a smile lit up her face.

His lips fell open and closed for a moment or two before he mumbled, "Liss-tee?"

Tears pricked her eyes and she jumped to her feet. "Yeah, Oliver. It's me. I'm right here."

It took another 7 minutes and 39 seconds before his eyelids fluttered and stayed open. Tired blue eyes found her immediately and she could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Don' cry" He mumbled.

She shook her head and wiped blindly at her face with her free hand.

"You're k?" His voice was thick with sleep and anesthetic.

"I'm great, Oliver. You saved our lives. We're okay. Everyone's okay." She assured him as she leaned forward and pressed the call button.

His eyes were unfocused and he licked his lips. A nurse rushed in and exclaimed happily when she saw that her patient was finally awake. The medical team rushed in and tried to push Felicity out of the way.

"No. Stay." He ordered, clearly agitated, shaking his head to clear the fog. "She stays."

The doctor muttered unhappily under his breath but they worked around her. He gripped her hand weakly as he was poked and prodded. His hazy eyes seemed to fight to stay on her.

"Dizzy." He told them before they left.

"Mr. Queen, the painkillers were a high dosage. It will take a while to adjust. You need to stay still as your wounds are still healing. No liquids until we give the okay." The doctor told him before leaving.

Oliver's fingers tightened around Felicity's and she stepped closer to him. He was staring at the place where their hands were joined and his eyes fought to stay open.

"You should sleep, Oliver." She told him softly, allowing herself a moment to trace the stubble on his jaw with her fingers.

"No."

She laughed. She'd wished for a chance to fight with him again, hadn't she? She began to pull away but his grip tightened and his eyes widened. "Where are you going?"

She frowned at him. "Your family is in the hall, Oliver. And so is Sara."

He shook his head. "Stay."

"But, Oliver." She paused when he fixed her with a glare. "They're all worried about you. Let me go get them and-"

"Please don't go." He was panting and she laid a hand on his cheek as he searched for the words. "Just got you back. Went crazy. Don't go."

His eyes were fluttering but the panic was shining in his eyes. She sighed and pressed her lips against his forehead. "I'll stay."

She dropped her hand from his face and sat heavily in the chair next to his bed. His fingers squeezed hers before his breathing evened out. She used one hand to text Thea.

"You can leave you know?" Sara whispered softly. "He's in the clear now."

Felicity shook her head before turning to look at the other woman. "I know this is weird and I'm sorry. I should go. Because you're his girlfriend and so you should be sitting in this chair holding his hand instead of me. I know that." She blew out a breath. "I know that, but he panicked when I tried to leave. He made me promise not to go. So I stayed. Because he was probably hallucinating but I don't want him to wake up to a broken promise and-"

Sara laid a hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to explain yourself, Felicity. I just meant that you haven't left the hospital since we got here. And you haven't been home in months. I didn't mean that I wanted you to leave. Or that you shouldn't be here."

They were interrupted by the arrival of Thea and Roy. Thea pressed her lips against Felicity's head before settling onto the spacious chair half on top of her.

She thinks that she might be Thea Queen's new best friend.

And she's more than okay with that. The younger Queen is full of spunk and Felicity likes that. She also knows that without Thea, she'd probably still be sitting out in the hallway.

"Speedy."

All of them turned to see Oliver smiling at his little sister. Thea tensed as if to launch herself at her big brother but reached out to grasp his arm instead. His eyes were clearer than they'd been the night before.

"Ollie! Oh, Ollie!" Thea cried.

Felicity extracted her hand from Oliver's with some difficulty and ran it over his sister's back.

"I'm alright, Kiddo." Oliver promised.

"Promise?"

He chuckled. "Promise."

His chest throbbed but he'd take the pain over the hazy high of painkillers every day of the week. He was alive and the pain reminded him of that.

Felicity hadn't quite been able to meet his eyes since he'd woken up. But she hadn't left either.

He smiled at Sara where she stood at the foot of the bed. Wordless communication passed between the two of them.

I'm sorry.

I forgive you.

She walked to the side of his bed and pressed her lips against his forehead.

Goodbye Ollie.

She smiled at the others before walking from the room. Thea's eyes held amusement and understanding, Roy was looking particularly smug. And Felicity still wasn't looking at him.

"Speedy, could you give us a few minutes?"

Thea only grinned over at him before jumping to her feet and dragging Roy out of the room. She shut the door firmly behind her.

"Felicity." His lips curled around her name and he smiled.

"You know, you're the only one who says my name like that." She told him conversationally, staring down at her fingers

"Like what?" He knew of course. There wasn't a word he enjoyed saying more than her name. He was able to communicate exactly how he was feeling just by saying her name in a certain tone. He had it down to a science.

"I'm happy you're awake." She said instead of answering him. "The thing is that I kept referring to you as sleeping, you know the way that I did when Barry first fell into a coma. But it didn't really work because you were actually in a coma and I couldn't pretend the way I did with Barry. So I sat in that waiting room with your family and Digg. And officer Lance, who knows your secret by the way, but I don't think you have to worry about it and wow I've been talking for a long time and you can really stop me at any point, in fact I'd really appreciate it," She glanced up at him finally. "And why are you smiling instead of stopping the verbal fallout here?" She glared at him. "Why didn't you stop me with a well-timed Felicity?"

He reached for her hand and refused to answer until she reached forward and placed her palm against him own.

"Because I've spent the last two months thinking I'd never hear you ramble again." His thumb traced over her fingers slowly. "I thought I'd never listen to you mumble your way through sexual innuendos and awkward topics. The silence in the lair and the office nearly drove me crazy."

She was watching his fingers dance across her own.

"Slade Wilson figured out the one thing I can't live without." His pulse quickened as the confession passed his lips. He'd spent so much time holding her back, keeping her safe from himself. He pushed the panic back as her eyes rounded and landed on his own.

"My rambling?" She squeaked.

Oliver laughed and his chest burned against the movement.

"Yeah, sort of. You, Felicity Smoak." He shook his head. "Why do you think I was so desperate for you to stay last night?"

She mumbled quietly and he raised an eyebrow. She sighed. "I figured you were high out of your mind and seriously confused."

He groaned. "I'm an idiot. But I have never been confused about my feelings for you, Felicity. Just never sure about what to do with them."

She bit her lip. "Do I get a vote this time?"

His lips raised in the smile only she had ever managed to pull from him.

"I vote you do something about it." She challenged.

"I'll take that into consideration." He teased.

"Oli-verrr." She grumbled.

"You should go home, get some rest." He told her seriously. She looked exhausted.

She nodded before kissing him softly on the cheek. She turned to go.

"Hey, Felicity?" She glanced at him over her shoulder. "Thanks for staying the night."

She wrinkled her nose with a grin of her own. "Next time you ask me to stay the night, Oliver Queen, it had better not be in a hospital. And it had better not be in a platonic way."

Her confident orders were only slightly undermined by the blush staining her cheeks.

"We've got a deal, Felicity." He promised her heatedly.

She licked her lips and then she left.

But she came back. She was there every time he woke up. And she was there when he was finally released.

And the next time he asked her to stay the night? There was nothing platonic about it.

Any thoughts? I love this series to be honest, I'm having so much fun with it. Thanks for reading!