Chapter 6 – Unanswered Questions

AN – So this chapter happens before the last one (Ch 5 - Diggle) and as with Chapter 4, both Felicity's and Oliver's POVs are included as this is the important "morning after" scene! Still cautiously hopeful for the happy ending…in some form…

AN2 – Still a lot of love for everyone reading, reviewing, and following! Thank you so much - you are just amazing! And a lot of love for my beta, Mic Riddy, who continues to put up with me! ;)

DISCLAIMER – Nope, not mine but I'm still trying to fix their mess!

Felicity's POV

Felicity opened her eyes and immediately realized the room was lighter than it should have been even it was still very early in the morning. She reached quickly for her glasses and phone and checked the time and saw her alarm was turned off. But how…Felicity didn't even complete the thought as she turned and saw Oliver standing at her bedroom window with his back to her. Suddenly memories flooded her and Felicity closed her eyes – Oliver coming back through the window after she hadn't let him in the door, her agreement to let him stay as a friend, their silence during the night, soothing him when he was locked in a nightmare.

Oh God! Felicity then remembered her own nightmare and how it had changed into a peaceful dream that allowed her to sleep better last night than she had in days. It didn't take a genius to figure out Oliver had probably soothed her as well but Felicity was determined to channel him and Diggle and simply not acknowledge that. She had worked so hard to keep everything inside, she hadn't talked to Oliver or even Diggle, and yet, Oliver still saw her and found his way in.

Felicity opened her eyes to find Oliver staring at her and she quickly looked away so as not to give away anything further. Without saying a word, Felicity gathered her clothes and headed toward the shower. She wanted to scream and cry in frustration but she knew Oliver would hear. She settled for a quick internal rant that just barely lessened her anxiety enough to allow clear thinking and she needed to think clearly so she would know how to handle this particular Oliver.

Oliver didn't usually push for conversation and was perfectly happy ignoring all manner of things but he could also be stubborn beyond belief. As it didn't look like he was going to continue to ignore the changes in the lair Felicity knew she had to prepare accordingly. If she had learned anything from Team Arrow it was that weaknesses could be exploited by others - you need to protect yourself and sometimes that meant wearing a mask. She had never made any effort to protect herself from Oliver previously but she was determined to do that now.

Felicity had only just acknowledged to herself she had missed her friend and she wasn't ready to admit that to him yet. She still needed to process everything and figure some things out. Felicity dressed in bright colors as if she was donning armor to protect herself. She just wasn't sure if she was trying to protect herself from her own depression or from Oliver's new strategy. She took a deep breath and flung the door open only to realize Oliver wasn't in the bedroom anymore.

Wary now, Felicity walked toward the living room and kitchen and saw him again looking out the window. She stopped just barely inside the room and waited but he didn't turn even though he did speak.

"You didn't answer my questions."

Felicity was momentarily thrown by the deep gravelly Arrow voice but quickly moved on to interpret his meaning. She then remembered his words when he had stood on the other side of her closed door, 'Felicity, I just need to know if you are ever going to talk to me again, look at me again. Me! Not the CEO, not the Arrow. Are you ever going to let me back in?'

As he slowly turned to face her Felicity realized she had no words to give him nor could she meet his eyes. Her emotions were raging just below the surface and Felicity was afraid any attempt to voice her feelings would end in her bawling her eyes out while lying in a fetal position on the floor. That mental image snapped her spine straight and brought her eyes up to his but still she didn't speak. She did watch as Oliver crossed to stand just a foot away from her.

"You came half away across the world to drag me back Felicity – I'll do whatever it takes to drag you back now. I just have one more question to ask though and I need an answer. Are you going to leave the Team…are you going to leave me?"

Felicity paused before answering as she knew that both of them would hold her to her answer. "No, I'm not leaving…" As her voice trembled by the end Felicity knew Oliver could hear the 'yet' that whilst unspoken still hung in the air.

"I'm not willing to give you up so I'll keep asking the questions until you answer. I won't give up until you tell me goodbye Felicity."

Oliver paused to stare at her then he gave her a single brief nod before he turned and escaped through the window. Felicity stared for several minutes after he had left unsure if he meant his words about fighting for her, for them, but clearly the battle rules had just changed and she doubted she was going to come through this unscathed. She just had to figure out if she was fighting him or fighting for him.

Oliver's POV

Oliver woke up at Felicity's alarm and quickly turned it off. He froze with Felicity still in his arms and waited to see if she would awaken but she barely stirred. Breathing a sigh of relief, Oliver then took a moment to relish feelings that were clearly beyond friendship as he enjoyed the feel of Felicity in his arms. He hadn't meant to stay, had only meant to comfort her and then return to the couch, but he had ended up spending the night with her and he had rested better than he had since even before 'that night'.

He knew allowing her to wake up in his arms would cross the lines that were already blurred between them and it could also possibly push her to run again. It was that last possibility that forced Oliver to leave the warm, comfortable bed he had shared with her and move to stand guard at the window. He tried to keep his gaze locked on the horizon but found it kept drifting to Felicity.

Oliver was glad to see her resting and wasn't concerned about her sleeping through her alarm. She might have studiously avoided his eyes recently but that didn't stop him from seeking her out whenever she was close. He had seen her struggles clearly as she had withdrawn from him and the Team, seen evidence of her lack of sleep, and watched in dismay as she worked to conceal all of these signs from him. Felicity had gone silent and the quiet tormented him.

As he watched, Felicity started moving on the bed and as she stretched luxuriously he jerked his attention back to the window. When he heard her glasses and phone scrape against the bedside table he knew she was fully awake but still he waited just a few more moments before he turned to look at her. She briefly met his eyes and then without a word scrambled from the head and quickly escaped to the bathroom.

Oliver stood immobile for several minutes before he quickly escaped the intimacy of waiting in her bedroom while she showered. Standing in the living room Oliver again positioned himself by the window as he was determined not to miss another opportunity to speak to Felicity. He worked hard to suppress any inappropriate mental images and instead focused on his strategy for bringing Felicity back. As soon as he heard her and felt her presence behind him he spoke without turning around.

"You didn't answer my questions."

He turned slowly toward her and clenched his jaw as she quickly looked away. He waited but Felicity still refused to answer his earlier questions. He considered repeating them but knew that was unlikely to gain an answer either. He might not be able to force her to speak now but he needed her to understand that he wasn't giving up and she would have to speak eventually. He couldn't resist closing the distance between them physically even as he tried to bridge the emotional gap.

"You came half-way across the world to drag me back Felicity – I'll do whatever it takes to drag you back now. I just have one more question to ask though and I need an answer. Are you going to leave the Team…are you going to leave me?"

There was another pause before Felicity spoke in a trembling voice, "No, I'm not leaving…"

Oliver had hoped for more but would take that despite the fact that while 'yet' remained unspoken it did still hang in the air.

"I'm not willing to give you up so I'll keep asking the questions until you answer. I won't give up until you tell me goodbye Felicity."

Oliver again gave her a moment to speak before realizing yet again she was maintaining her silence. While he was frustrated with Felicity's continued silence he didn't miss the irony of the role reversal. And if they had truly reversed roles then he should be able to reach Felicity eventually as she had certainly carved out a permanent place in his life and heart.

Knowing Felicity wasn't watching, Oliver allowed himself a small smile as he now had hope for reconciliation and a future with Felicity.

AN3 – The next two chapters should be first Felicity's POV and then Oliver's POV and will hopefully completely push us through the angst (finally) and into a happier place even if it's only in platonic terms! Although, let's be real even their "platonic" is fun…I've been watching YouTube videos recommended by reviewers (aka new friends) about our favorite pair and I'm definitely feeling the Olicity love and wishing I had platonic friends like that! ;)