One of my favourite things about this series is how rarely these one-shots turn out the way I plan them. I originally sat down to write something fluffy and non-series related. And yet here we are. I really hope you enjoy it. You've probably guessed by now how excited I am by those promo pics for next episode (in other words, you'll probably get another one-shot from me that includes them in some way or another.) Anyways, thanks for the crazy amount of support you've all given me. The fact that anyone (other than myself) loves these one-shots is incredible and humbling. Without further ado, Enjoy!

I own nothing.

It had been a hellish couple of months. An argument could be made that hellish was an understatement. Slade's kidnapping of Thea had only been the tip of the iceberg. With Isobel's help, he'd been able to use Oliver's own company to mass-produce the Mirakuru serum and create 57 super criminals.

Oliver sighed and dropped his head into his hand. The fight had been long and brutal. The psychological warfare at times infinitely more effective than the straight out physical attacks. Finding Slade in the lair, in the one place that they should be safe, had been the scariest moment of his life. When the dust had settled, John was lying in the ICU, Sara had several broken bones and Slade had found a new target; Felicity. Oliver had tipped his hand exactly the way that Slade had hoped he would. His first instinct had been to protect Felicity whilst Sara and Dig fought their intruder. Slade had them beat quickly and Oliver remembered the mind-numbing fear that had washed over him as Slade had advanced on the two of them. The fight was over relatively quickly, Oliver had been too distracted by their proximity to Felicity and Slade had taken advantage.

Oliver felt the desk break beneath him as he crumbled to the floor. His hands were slick with blood, his own. Panic surged within him as he watched through one rapidly swelling eye as Slade stalked towards Felicity. He struggled against the pain and nausea and tried to force his weak legs into movement.

"Hello, Lovely." Slade whispered lethally.

Oliver shook his head, desperately trying to stave off the fog. Felicity stood from where Oliver had forced her to hide. He stood quickly only to have his legs collapse beneath him. He roared in frustration as he watched Felicity raise her chin in defiance towards the killer in front of her.

"It would seem that Ms. Rochev was correct in her assertions that you were the woman he truly cared for." Slade told her as he stopped a foot in front of her.

Oliver found his feet once more as a snarl ripped its way through his chest. He stumbled forwards as Slade pulled a sword from his back. "No!" No!" Oliver bellowed.

Tears stung the corners of his eyes as his legs once again collapsed too many feet from Slade and Felicity. He wasn't going to be able to save her. Felicity's eyes met his and she shot him the most beautiful smile he'd ever seen. His words from months before washed over him and the tears that were blinding him began to fall freely. There was no choice to make. It was clear that she regretted nothing.

Slade was watching Oliver's agony with a grin of victory. He thrust his sword forward and the tiniest cry escaped Felicity's lips. Oliver's wide eyes assessed the damage as Slade stepped away from the blonde.

"I've found your weakness now, Kid. Killing her today would be too easy." Slade promised, stepping closer to his prone form. He delivered a swift kick to Oliver's ribs and Felicity cried out. "No, instead I'll leave a mark on her each time we meet. To remind you of your sins, to punish you. And once all of this is over, then I'll kill her. You'll be left holding the scarred and broken body of the woman you love. And then I'll have my revenge." He blew a kiss to Felicity. "I'll see you around, Sweetheart. You and I have a date, several in fact. We'll know each other quite well by the time this is over."

Slade turned on his heel and stepped over the unconscious bodies of the team before leaving the lair.

He had kept his promise, at least in part. No matter how hard Oliver tried, no matter how closely he watched her, Slade always managed to find Felicity. That scar on her right arm was only the first of the scars that Slade would leave her with. The pattern was always the same. Felicity would disappear, an hour the first time and longer each time after and then she'd walk into the foundry with her head held high and a new mark on her. She'd quietly allow him to clean the wound, her quiet strength keeping any tears at bay. She never allowed him to apologize though. She'd simply repeat his words back to him. There was no choice to make.

His relationship with Sara ended during Felicity's second disappearance. Things had been strained since Thea's kidnapping. Sara had been hurt and confused by Felicity's interjection and the peace that her words had given him. She had been spending all non-Slade time with her family after that. He felt no small amount of guilt at the way he'd treated her when Felicity had been taken the first time. She had tried to console him and he'd been furious and unkind. She hadn't made the same mistake the second time around. She'd simply kissed him on the cheek and told him to let her know when his girl came home.

His fingers drummed absently on his desk as he stared at the empty chair through the glass walls.

John had recovered slowly but he'd been absent for the final fight and Oliver knew that it still wore on his friend. It had come down to Oliver, Sara, Felicity and a surprising ally against 57 super criminals and Slade Wilson. Amanda Waller had managed to help as well, although her methods hadn't improved since Dig's first encounter with the suicide squad.

Oliver stood in the center of the abandoned warehouse. His eyes searched frantically for an opening in the ring of mirakuru-laced soldiers but found none. Felicity was shouting frantically in his ear and his heart thumped unevenly in his chest.

"Oliver, please. You have to get out of there. Waller has sent three drones your way. I can't reroute them. Please. You have to get out. Sara won't be there on time. She's still fighting her way to the warehouse. Please, Oliver. Please!" She begged.

The circle began closing in on him and he knew that it was the end. He had always known that his journey as the Arrow would lead to his death eventually.

"Felicity, you need to leave town." Oliver breathed. "Slade isn't here. He'll come for you and-"

"Oliver! I don't care about Slade right now. Please, get out of there. Please." Her voice broke. "Come home, Oliver."

He choked on the breath he'd been holding. "I'm sorry, Felicity. I don't think I'm coming back to you this time."

The declaration that she was his home hung between the two of them. He could hear the sounds of the drone coming closer. He closed his eyes to wait for the fatal blow or the fiery storm, whichever came first.

"Felicity, I-"

"Not so fast, superhero."

Oliver's eyes popped open to see Barry Allen standing in front of him. The kid winked at him and then Oliver was seven city blocks from the warehouse. He stared at Barry in shock before his head whipped towards the sound of three distinct explosions. The fireball stretched to the heavens.

"Barry, get me to Felicity."

Felicity hadn't been in the basement. He would find out later that Slade had been there with her all along. He'd been grinning at her as she begged Oliver to come home, as she told him she wasn't worried about Slade. She'd been desperately trying to save him even as she accepted her own fate. She had only just managed to get a text to Barry with Oliver's location before she'd been taken.

The search for her had taken three weeks. The team had reunited with the single purpose of bringing her home. Roy had returned when he'd learned she was in danger, Sara had showed up with the newly released Diggle and Barry had vowed to stay until she was home.

"Her body is 17 % scar tissue, Mr. Queen."

When they had finally found her, the rage had nearly consumed him.

He kicked the door open and ran into the room. He could hear the others engaging Blood and Isobel in the hallway. His eyes searched the dark room until landing on the woman sitting with her knees pulled to her chest against the wall.

"Felicity?" His words were hoarse. Her dress was cut to ribbons and the original color was impossible to guess at given the blood covering every square inch of her. Her face was bruised and her blond hair tangled.

He slid forward on his knees and reached for her instinctively. Her lips quirked in a smile of recognition. "Hey, Oliver."

His hands moved over her body, assessing for injuries and he was glad to find that nothing seemed broken, including her spirit. His hand cupped her cheek and she leaned into his touch.

"I knew you'd come for me."

"As did I, Miss Smoak. Ready for her death, Kid?" Slade taunted from the doorway.

Oliver surged to his feet and attacked. The fight was fueled by rage and hatred. Felicity watched them quietly from her corner but he could feel the concern radiating off of her in waves.

Roy burst into the room and sidestepped the fight as he saw Felicity. He ran over to her and Oliver could hear the two of them whispering before his prodigy was at his side, tipping the fight in their favour.

"Need help to win, Kid?" Slade taunted after Roy had landed a vicious blow to his head.

"That's the thing about having a team, Slade." Felicity replied for him, standing for the first time and stepping forwards. "Something you'll never understand. Roy is what you could have been. He's a hero, just like Oliver. And we're going to beat you. It's why you were never able to break me." Her chin lifted. "I had something, I had people to believe in. You have lackeys. We have family."

Slade roared his fury and surged towards her but Roy stepped in. The battle was fiercer this time around but Slade's rage was distracting him. After several moments Roy pulled the sword from Slade's back and tossed it to Oliver. Slade whirled around as Oliver shoved the sword through his heart. Slade's knees buckled and he landed in front of him. The two of them stared at each other and for the tiniest moment Oliver would swear he saw his friend once more. Roy's hands landed on either side of the man's head and snapped his neck forcefully.

Oliver followed the familiar path through the white hallways and flashed his CEO smile at all of the people he passed. He paused outside the door for a few moments before walking into the room. Her eyes danced as they landed on him and he exhaled.

Every day it was the same thing. He'd trudge his way through the hospital, pause outside her door, hoping and praying that his Felicity would be the one lying in that bed. Slade had tried to break her, and Oliver was still waiting for that to happen.

"Another successful day at the office?" She teased as he stepped closer to her bed.

The bruises had begun to fade and her wounds had started to heal. The scars would remain.

"Her body is 17 % scar tissue, Mr. Queen."

He remembered with clarity how desperately she'd wished for a scar all those months ago. She'd wanted to feel like she fit in with the rest of them. And now she had more scars than even Sara did. She would remember each and every scar the way that he had memorized his own. Her perfect light skin was marred by Slade's cruelty.

His fear of the psychological scars remained and haunted him every night as he slept. And yet here she was. Teasing him with bright blue eyes and that same old smile. She was still Felicity and she was every bit as beautiful as she had been the first time he'd met her.

He should have known that Slade Wilson's darkness was no match for Felicity's light.

"Things don't run very smoothly without you." He replied finally. "Although, after the QC public massacre from Isobel's involvement with Slade, everyone is just happy to have me back."

Felicity laughed. "Who would have thought that playboy billionaire trumps murderous psycho?" He shook his head and she laughed again. "You really do have the worst taste in women, Oliver."

Her tone was teasing and held no censure. Yet her words hit him profoundly. He reached for her hand and threaded his fingers through hers.

"I think-" He paused. Her hand squeezed his and he smiled. "I think that I attract the kind of women that I believe I deserve. I search for the darkness that I see within myself."

He took a breath or two before he raised his eyes to meet hers once more. Her blue gaze was thoughtful as she waited for him to continue.

"I guess it's easier to be with someone who I can't really hurt." He finished.

Felicity sighed and pulled her hand from his grip. Her gaze dropped to watch her fingers where they were playing with her blanket. "Easier is rarely better."

His lips quirked to the side. "That's certainly been my experience."

Felicity peeked up at him. "Any chance you plan on reforming?"

Oliver chuckled and ran a hand through his hair.

"Tell me what you're worried about." She demanded softly.

Oliver sighed and sat on the edge of her bed beside her. He reached over and brushed a blond curl off of her cheek before speaking.

"I decided a long time ago that I would never allow myself to be with you." She opened her mouth with angry eyes but he shook his head quickly. If he didn't get it all out now, he never would. "You were this unending light that crept through the darkness, Felicity. You were the first person to elicit a genuine laugh from me after I came back from the island. The first time we met you made me smile, a real one. I was myself with you, even before you knew about the hood. You brought me back from the island, physically and metaphorically." He blew out a breath.

"So what's the problem?" She wondered when he'd been silent for a few moments too long.

"You're everything that's right in the world, in my world. And I was so afraid that I'd be the one to snuff out your light. But-" He ran his thumb over the hand she had placed on his knee. "But I didn't give you nearly enough credit. Slade should have broken you. You shouldn't have been you after that first time that he took you. I was expecting a shell of the woman I care about when I found you. But I was wrong, and so was he. Because you, Felicity Smoak, are stronger than anyone I know." His voice swelled with pride and he smiled down at her.

Felicity let out a long-suffering sigh before her blinding smile lit up the room. "About damn time, Oliver. So what does this mean?"

Oliver shifted closer, cupping her cheek. "It means that I'm done fighting this, fighting you."

Felicity's hand covered his and held it more tightly to her face. "You know there's a chance I'll be in the line of fire again. You can't freak out and push me away. You have to promise."

His jaw clenched as he imagined her hurt again. But she was right. She was always right. "Because of the life I live, the life we live, I can't afford to stay away from you anymore, Felicity. I can't pace that basement, wishing that I could see you one more time, tell you how I really feel. I can't not be with you. Because you're right. We might die tomorrow. So no more wasting today."

Her eyes sparkled with tears and she sniffled happily. "You can be so mushy!"

Oliver growled playfully before leaning in to silence her giggles with a kiss.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" She asked against his lips. "We can probably fit quite comfortably on this bed of mine."

He licked her bottom lip playfully before pulling back. "I don't plan on spending my nights with anyone else, Felicity."

"I'm so happy I don't have to worry about covering my verbal gaffes with platonic excuses anymore." She replied cheekily.

Oliver laughed outright before leaning back in to kiss his girl. His girl girl.

Any thoughts? Like what I did with that stupid 'because of the life I lead' speech? Thanks for reading!