Felicity woke when she heard a commotion outside the observation room in which she rested. She lifted her aching head off the pillow and sat up, slowly. Her cheek under her right eye felt thick and hot. She'd had a cold pack on it for a while but had dozed off. There was a narrow window in the door and she padded, barefoot to peek outside. She wasn't locked in, but Lyla Michaels had asked her to stay in the room to avoid any reactions to her pheromone. She saw Lyla approach her door and stepped back to let her in, putting her glasses on, gingerly.

"Is that Merlyn?" she asked.

"No, Oliver's waking up. He's a bit agitated."

"Is he okay?"

"We had to sedate him to stitch up his hand, so now we're letting him sleep off whatever drug he was given." She gave Felicity a quick smile. "We have Merlyn in a secure area and we're keeping him in a medically induced coma until we can find a place that can hold him."

"I suggest the League of Assassins," she said, mildly. "They'll happily take him off your hands."

"We've been looking for him for a while now, the League will have to bargain if they want him back." She smiled at her fiancée's friend. "Oliver's been asking for you. He doesn't seem able to remember much so John's been staying with him."

"Thanks for riding to the rescue."

"I'm just glad we found you."

"And thanks for giving me my purse." She dug out the spray bottle of Caitlin's human version of Lust Buster. "Should I see him?" she asked, spritzing herself liberally.

"I'll see if-"

"Where is she?" They heard the shout and Felicity jerked the door open. Oliver was standing in the doorway of another exam room. Diggle stood behind him, a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm okay," Felicity said and he looked at her. He seemed relieved and went to her. He looked closely at her face and the bruise under her eye. He buried the fingers of his good hand in her hair and pulled her into his chest.

Felicity tensed, gripped the damp cotton of his t-shirt tightly, and shut her eyes. She tried to calm her racing heart but the feel of his hands on her was too fresh. She managed to avoid pulling away, and stood her ground. She reminded herself that he'd saved them.

When Merlyn had entered the room and rolled Oliver over, he'd received a large chunk of glass, taken from the broken light cover, in the side of his neck. She still shivered however, when she remembered Oliver's fingers on her naked flesh while she was face-down on the floor.

"Are you okay being out here?" Diggle asked, looking around at the few male agents in the room.

"I'm using a fragrance that masks it fairly well. If I can get home, I'll quarantine myself till it's gone."

"Amanda Waller is sending one of our biochemists who might be able to help you," Lyla said, bringing Felicity back to the present.

"I appreciate that." She stepped back from Oliver's embrace and looked up at him. "How are you feeling?" she managed to say.

"I was pretty out of it for a while, a bit more awake now." He looked around. "What about Merlyn?"

"They stitched up his neck," Lyla said, "He's being kept in a coma till we can find a hole to throw him in," she finished, dryly.

"His neck?" Oliver asked, looking between the two women. "What happened?"

Lyla and Felicity looked at each other.

"What do you remember?" Lyla asked.

"The airstrip," he answered, "and then waking up here." He looked at both of them. "What happened?" he asked again.

"We're running tests on your blood and urine to see what he used to drug you."

"How did you find us?"

"I called," Felicity said. "Diggle called in the cavalry and ARGUS, came to get us."

"Where were we?"

"A private residence in the north suburbs," Diggle said, looking closely at Felicity. "We're not clear on all the details, yet."

"Do you remember?" Oliver turned to his blonde friend.

"Merlyn shot me with a tranquilizer dart at the airport too," she said, quickly. "I did wake up before you, but I'm not sure what happened... before that." She reminded herself that she wasn't directly lying.

"Can we go now?" Oliver said, standing stiffly. "I'd prefer to be someplace else when Amanda Waller gets here."

Diggle drove them to Felicity's apartment since they were all fairly certain they were being watched. No one wanted to draw attention to the foundry.

"I'm pretty tired," Felicity said. "Roy called, Laurel too, could you let them know I'm okay but I just want a few hours to myself."

"Sure," Diggle said. He turned and walked back to the dark sedan. Oliver closed her apartment door.

"We didn't get a chance to talk," he said, looking solemn. He placed a big hand on her shoulder and squeezed, gently.

"Can it wait?" Felicity asked, with a trembling smile. She ducked under his hand and went to the bathroom. "I just want a shower and some rest." She saw the flash of hurt in his eyes and then his features softened.

"Of course," he said, watching her go to the bathroom. "Mind if I crash on your couch?"

"Help yourself," she replied.

Most of the day had been spent on a plane, in a locked room, and in a secret, government base. Felicity's muscles were stiff and sore. She washed herself carefully and dried off, spraying more of the hormone-blocking fragrance on herself before slipping on her sleep shirt. Oliver was already asleep on the couch when she came out to check on him. She took a blanket from the end of her bed and brought it out. He was sprawled on his back with his bandaged hand resting on his chest. She guessed he was feeling the effects of whatever drugs Merlyn gave him, plus the sedative from ARGUS' doctors because she'd known him to be a pretty light sleeper. She draped the blanket over him and let him rest.

It was early evening, only a matter of hours since she'd left Central City. She checked her email and found a fairly innocent-looking message from Caitlin Snow.

I met someone new. You'll have to call me when you get a chance. I'd love to tell you all about him. –C

She didn't need a book of code words to decipher the message. Caitlin had new information but it wasn't urgent. Diggle had called Barry when Felicity and Oliver had vanished. He must have reassured them once they'd been found. She stood up and rubbed her temples. Much like the previous doses, she was getting a headache and fatigue from the hormones. She crawled into bed, spraying the sheets and her pillow, liberally. The heaviness of the events of the day and their future ramifications seemed to have physical weight. She could barely keep her eyes open, in spite of her anxiety, and drifted off with the scent of eucalyptus in her nostrils.

A suffocating weight pressed Felicity down onto the bed. She couldn't free her arms or legs, no matter how hard she kicked. She cried out but her words were ignored. She fought for breath, sinking into darkness. Hands gripped her shoulders and jerked her forward, she struck out, blindly.

"No!" she sobbed. "Oliver, don't do this. Please stop!" she had to get through to him. She had to make him understand.

"Felicity, wake up!"

The bedroom was dark, but light came from the open doorway and she saw a familiar silhouette sitting on the edge of her bed. She shrank back against her pillows, banging the back of her head against the headboard.

"Stop!" she rasped. Her throat was dry and parched. She held out her hands and they encountered bare skin. She backed away, frantically, unable to catch her breath. Her chest contracted, painfully and her breath seemed to rush in and out of her lungs without giving her Oxygen.

"Felicity, you're safe." His voice was calm and soft now. He went to her desk and switched on her desk light. "It's okay, I'm here, you're safe." He wore a towel knotted around his hips and his hair was damp. He remained where he was but continued to speak. "You're home, you're in your own bed, everything's okay now." He waited while she struggled to catch her breath. "You were having a nightmare, it was just a dream. You're safe now. I won't let anyone hurt you."

Felicity began to cry; not out of fear, or even anger, but out of frustration. Her situation was ridiculous. Malcolm Merlyn would eventually wake up and he would gleefully tell Oliver what had happened; or what he wanted Oliver to believe. She was in an impossible place. She could tell him the detailed truth and try to convince him that none of it was his fault, or she could tell him only that he'd put on a show for their captor in order to secure their release. She sniffled loudly and looked up at him, his bright blue eyes held a look of helplessness. She thought about Thea, Laurel, Captain Lance, and everyone else who'd been hurt by secrets. It was almost always worse when the truth came out.

"You can't remember anything?" she asked in a watery voice. He shook his head and handed her a box of tissues. He looked down at his towel and walked out of the room.

"I'll be right back," he said over his shoulder. He returned in a clean pair of jeans and a gray Henley shirt. "Thea dropped off some of my clothes," he said. "I didn't want to leave you here, alone." He looked at her, still crouched at the far corner of the bed. "I know you must still be upset about what happened a few nights ago, and if you want someone else here, I understand."

"You really have no idea what happened," she whispered shaking her head. "I wish I didn't."

"Diggle said the tests came back positive for Ketamine and Versed."

"Of course," Felicity said, feeling more tears roll down her cheeks. "It makes sense now." She laughed hoarsely.

"This isn't about the other night?" he asked. Felicity shook her head, taking out more tissues and blowing her nose. She gestured to the small spray bottle on the other side of the bed. He picked it up and walked over to her. He handed it to her and sat on the bed a foot away from her, while she sprayed herself again. "What did Merlyn do to you?"

"He locked me in a bedroom," she said, drying her sore eye gingerly.

"I don't-" Oliver began but she held her hand up and he fell silent.

"He sprayed me with the synthetic sex hormone I told you about, and then he locked me in a bedroom…" she lifted her eyes to his and held his gaze, "with you."

**Ketamine is used in anesthesia. Versed is used for conscious sedation and, more often than not, causes memory loss.