The doorbell rang for the second time just as Felicity was turning on her Keurig. Grumbling softly, she shuffled to the door in her slippers and yanked it open.

"For the last time, Mrs. Probinsky, I didn't take your newspaper—"

Unless Felicity's neighbor had grown two feet and become a man in the last fifteen minutes the person at her door was not Mrs. Probinsky.

It was John Diggle.

"Hi, Felicity."

Felicity squeezed her eyes shut, sure she was hallucinating. When she opened them he was still there, standing on her stoop in the same brown leather jacket he'd been wearing the last time she'd seen him, over two years ago. "You're here," she said stupidly.

He watched her with an amused expression. "It would seem so."

"Why?" Felicity blurted. "Not that I'm not happy to see you. I am. Happy to see you, I mean. I'm just surprised. It's been...a long time."

"Two years," Dig agreed. "You don't call, you don't write. You don't answer my phone calls. If I didn't know any better, Smoak, I'd think you were trying to avoid me."

Felicity grimaced. After she left Star City she had all but cut off contact with everyone from her old life, including Dig. At first because it had just been too painful but after...in her rare moments of self-reflection Felicity knew it was because she was scared. Scared of dredging up the past. Scared that her friends might be angry at her for leaving without saying goodbye. Scared of the fact that she had let them down. Felicity had always viewed herself as a brave person—someone willing to take a risk. But when it came to facing the disappointment of those she loved she found that her courage abandoned her.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I almost visited. A few times. But then work got busy and—"

Dig put his hand on her arm. He was smiling. "It's okay, Felicity. Believe it or not I did not come here to guilt trip you."

She shook her head, smiling tentatively back at him. "Why are you here?"

"Army reunion," Dig said, stuffing his hands in his pockets, his shoulders hunched against the cold air. "A few of my buddies from the platoon moved here a couple years ago. We try to get together every now and then. Reminisce. I thought I'd look you up while I was here. Come say hi."

"Well, hi then," Felicity said. A gust of wind blustered down the street, whipping the dry leaves into small tornados that spun out across the pavement. Felicity tugged her sweater tighter around her shoulders. "You wanna come inside? It's freezing out here."

Felicity glanced back at Dig as he followed her into the kitchen. "Coffee?"

"Please."

As Felicity busied herself pulling down two mugs from the cupboard Dig sank into one of the chairs at the kitchen table and glanced around the apartment. The décor was quintessential Felicity. Brightly colored pillows lined the couch. An elliptical sat in the corner of the living room. Movie posters festooned the walls. But something was off about it and it took Dig a minute to figure out what. Then, as Felicity turned around balancing two overfull mugs in her hands, it struck him. There were no photographs anywhere. The fridge, the mantel, the end tables— they were bare.

Felicity set one mug in front of Dig, then slid into the chair across from him, cradling her own mug in both hands. "Cream, no sugar. That still right?"

He nodded. "Thanks."

"No problem." Felicity took a sip then set her mug down. "So how are you? How're Lyla and Sara? I wanna know everything."

As they talked Felicity's initial shock at seeing John wore off, and was replaced by a cheery warmth in her chest at the sight of her friend. The thought that she had avoided him for so long out of some misguided fear that he would hold her need to get out of Star City against her felt criminal and downright stupid. She had missed out on so much. And for what?

"There are two other things I wanted to talk to you about," Dig said half an hour later, as Felicity stood up to refill both their mugs.

"Oh?"

"The first is the most important. I promised Lyla I'd give you this." He held out bright pink envelope.

Felicity took it, glancing at him as she sat back down. She slid a finger under the flap and lifted out the contents. "An invitation to Sara's birthday party?" Her heart clenched. "That's really sweet, Dig."

He raised an eyebrow. "But?"

Felicity bit her lip. "I don't know if it's a good idea."

"Because of Oliver?"

Felicity looked away. Despite the hot mug in her hands and the warmth emanating from the radiator by her feet she suddenly felt cold. "Does he know you're here?"

"No. Felicity, I tried to be Oliver's relationship ambassador once before— when you were with Palmer—and that was a mistake. I shouldn't have gotten in the middle of it but I did. I never apologized for that but I should have. I'm not here for Oliver. Whatever is going on between you two is your own business." He leaned back in his chair and held his hands up. "I'm just here as a guy who misses his friend. And as a dad whose daughter would love to have her godmother at her birthday party."

Felicity nodded and looked away, blinking rapidly. She took a long sip of coffee. The radiator reached the end of its cycle and shut off, leaving the tiny kitchen impossibly quiet. In the sudden silence, Felicity made a decision.

"I'll try to come," she said, looking up at Dig. "I'll talk to Wayne when I get into work today. Our merger talks with LexCorp are almost over. Maybe next week would be a good time for me to take a couple days."

"Okay." Dig nodded. "But if you don't come that's okay too. Just maybe answer your phone every once in a while."

Felicity laughed. "Yeah. I think I can do that. You said there were two things you wanted to talk about," she said, remembering. "What was the second thing?"

"It's about our...volunteer work."

Oh. "Vigilante Inc.?"

"Yeah."

Felicity cocked her head, waiting for him to continue.

"There have been several deaths in the city recently that have just felt...off."

Felicity's brow wrinkled. "Deaths? You mean murders?"

Dig shook his head. "Not according to SCPD. According to official reports they're all accidents. A loose screw in a woman's balcony. A broken traffic light that caused car accident. An inexplicable fire."

"The warehouse fire in the Triangle?" Felicity said without thinking. She flushed, knowing she had just given herself away. "So maybe I've been checking up on the city every now and then," she said defensively as Dig smiled.

"You're a hero Felicity. That's not an easy occupation to quit."

I'm not, she almost said. Heroes don't run away when things get hard. Heroes stay. Heroes fight.

She forced herself to look back at him. "What do you need from me?"

"If I give you a list of names could you run a crosscheck on them? Lance did an initial one but I was hoping you could dig a little deeper. We're looking for commonalities— shared acquaintances, anything from their pasts that might give us an idea of why they were targeted. If they turn out to be linked that means there's a serial killer out there—a smart one. We need to know if that's the case. "

Felicity nodded. "I can do that."

"Great. Thank you."

Leaves blustered against the glass but inside it was warm. Cozy.

"It's really nice to see you, Felicity," Dig said. He held up his mug. "And to drink your coffee. Oliver tries but his coffee is shit."

The memory took her by surprise. Oliver standing at the counter measuring out coffee grounds one morning a week after they'd moved into the house in Ivy Town. "You're using that much grounds?" Felicity had asked, coming to stand beside him. "For that much water?"

"Is that wrong?" he asked, his face adorably confused.

Felicity made a face. "Only if you want to drink your coffee instead of chew it."

"Help."

She'd wrapped her arms around his waist, rising up on her tippy toes to rub her nose against his. "What do I get if I help you?"

"Drinkable coffee?"

She kissed him, softly but with a hint of urgency. "What else?"

His eyes darkened and Felicity yelped as she was suddenly swept off her feet. "I'll show you," he growled.

By the time they got back out of bed again it was time for dinner and the coffee had been all but forgotten.

Felicity gave Dig a small smile, her heart twisting in her chest. "I do remember him struggling with that."

"Well, I better go." Dig stood up and shrugged on his jacket.

"You're leaving already?" Felicity was taken aback by the strength of her disappointment. "I have to go to work in half an hour but if you wanna stick around we could get lunch. I might be able to leave early too. I could take you up to the top of Wayne Tower. The view from up there is amazing at sunset."

"I'd love to but my flight's in an hour. I'm pushing it already."

"Of course," Felicity said, trying to hide her disappointment as she followed him to the door. "Some other time."

When Dig turned back on the stoop to hug her, Felicity was surprised by how hard it was to let him go.

"You'll check about the party?" Dig said as he pulled away.

Felicity leaned against the door frame, clutching her sweater closer to her body as the cold began to leach through the thin material. She nodded.

"See you soon then," he said.

"See you soon," she echoed.

She watched him until he disappeared around the block. Even then she lingered. She had shut out all reminders of her old life for so long to have such a large one show up unexpectedly had thrown her for more of a loop than she'd ever admit. It was as if she'd thrown a blanket over her old life in Star City and seeing Dig had pulled it back again. She couldn't say if she resented him for it or if she was grateful.

"Is Mr. Wayne in?" Felicity asked Bruce's secretary as soon as she got into the office.

"He's in a meeting—" Patricia began, but a deep voice cut her off.

"Actually we're all done. You wanted to speak with me?"

Felicity turned to find herself face to face with Bruce Wayne. He was about the same height as Oliver (Felicity hated that she always did that—comparing every man she met to him), though a tad slighter, more narrow in the shoulders, and sharper; sharper cheekbones, sharper jaw. Dark eyes that cut like a knife. It had taken Felicity weeks to be able to look him in the eyes without feeling the urge to flinch. But she was not wholly unfamiliar with prickly males and after a while she had adjusted. Now she liked to play a game she called Can I make Bruce Wayne smile today?

In two years she had won the game three times.

Felicity nodded and Bruce waved her into his office. They were on the seventy-third floor of the building and the walls were all glass. The rest of Gotham sparkled far, far below. Pedestrians on the sidewalk looked like ants. A few blocks over the trees in Grant Park were ablaze with color.

Felicity plucked up her courage and began. "I need a few days off and since the merger talks are wrapping up I hoped it would be alright if I maybe cashed in a few of my sick days."

Bruce lowered himself into his chair, steepling his hands on his desk. "Something come up?"

Felicity hesitated. "My goddaughter is turning five on Monday. I was there when she was born but I missed her last two birthdays. I really don't want to miss another one."

He held her gaze for a minute and she was struck once again by how dark and cold they seemed. Then he shrugged and looked back to the computer. "Take the time, Smoak. When you get back we'll look another look at the numbers from the Fester report."

Felicity let out her breath. Something about Wayne kept her on her toes whenever she was around him. "Thank you."

"And Ms. Smoak?" He called as she laid her hand on the door.

Felicity turned.

He was still staring at the computer. "While you're in Star City tell the Arrow hello for me."

Felicity's mouth fell open. "I—" she was about to deny his silent claim but he raised an eyebrow and she knew it was a lost cause. He knew. Which probably meant he knew that she knew about him as well.

Well at least they didn't have to dance around that anymore. Felicity lifted her chin, a hint of a smile on her lips. "If you tell the Bat not to take too many unnecessary risks while I'm gone."

Bruce held her gaze without blinking. Still, Felicity thought she'd seen his lips tilt imperceptibly. That counted, right? She made the executive decision that it did.

Score one for me.

Bruce turned back to his computer. "Goodbye, Felicity. Have a safe trip."

Felicity smiled as she left his office. Patricia gave her a strange look; people didn't often leave Bruce Wayne's office with a smile

When she got home Felicity texted Dig to let him know she was definitely coming.

Does Sara still want a pony for her birthday?

A minute later he texted back.

No ponies unless you're sticking around to clean up the shit.

Okay but what if the pony comes with a bedazzled pooper scooper

No ponies, Smoak

Felicity slumped down into the couch. Her smile slowly faded as the reality of the situation began to sink in. She was going back. Back to the place she'd run from so far and so fast from that she'd ended on the opposite coast of the country.

It's only for a visit. Your life is here now. A two day trip isn't going to change that.

But she still had to deal with the question that had been running circles in her mind all day. Did she tell Oliver she was coming? Dig probably had told him by now, right? Although he had said he was interfering between them anymore. Did that include letting him know she'd be at Sara's birthday party?

She'd deal with that later, she decided. In the morning.

Yes. That would have to do.

For now she took out Dig's list of names, fetched her computer, and curled back up on the couch to do some serious digging. If there was a connection, she would find it.

Her fingers flew across the keys.