AN: Well. I basically ate my own words from the last update. Nothing fluffy or cute about this, it's pretty much an alternative scene in 1x20. I blame Lana Del Rey, my terrible mood and Laurel for this. I hope you guys like it, and that it isn't too crappy. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this, favourited and followed it. You guys are being hugged to death right now. xoxo

Sometimes, getting used to a routine was dangerous.

She didn't know what to exactly call her and Oliver – it wasn't as if they were in an actual official relationship, because neither had mentioned it. But there was something there. They went out on dates, they had movie nights in after he put 'the fear of God' into someone else on the list and he even shared stories with her that she was certain no one else knew of.

Becoming comfortable had made her naïve again.

She had pushed it to the back of her mind, conveniently forgetting about the insecurities that came with giving her heart to Oliver Queen. She had held his hand whenever the nightmares had come to him whenever they fell asleep on the coach; she had been his guidance on every single hit he had gone out on; she had foolishly thought that maybe, it was just her for once.

Then Diggle had walked out of the Foundry, not looking back.

Reality slapped her right across the face. For the first time in her life, Felicity wanted to physically hit something. How could she have been so blind? How did she allow herself to be so stupid?

So she looked up, and met his gaze. He was still standing there, his face void of any emotion.

But there was a storm in his eyes.

"Something to say, Felicity?" he asked, voice tight and cold. She felt the lump in her throat tighten, but she wasn't going to cry. Felicity hadn't survived high school for nothing – not only did she have a quick mind, but she also had a backbone.

"Nothing you want to hear."

Her words hit home. He clenched his fists, trying hard not to let go of his slipping control and just plunge his fist through the desk. Or one of the computer screens. That would rile her up, wouldn't it? Having one of her beloved screens broken beyond repair.

Turning away from her retreating back, he closed his eyes, the harsh reality hitting him. His partner had just walked out on him. Tally that up to another person leaving.

At least he wasn't dead.

"Is Laurel worth it?"

He twisted around sharply, bewilderment settling on his face as he stared at Felicity before him. She had put away the medical kit and stood beside her desk, arms folded as she watched him.

"What?"

She couldn't help but ask. She knew that the best solution to it all would be to keep quiet, then go see Diggle tomorrow, talk to him and sort this out. But something in her wasn't willing to let it go that easily.

She hated being taken for a fool.

"Is she worth it? I can't get my head around it – I understand you wanted to protect the kid and her too, but was it worth putting Diggle in danger like that? We are supposedly a team; you could have called him or something to put it off or anything, Oliver. What would you have done if Deadshot had killed him?" she couldn't stop her voice from cracking as she threw her hands up.

"You don't understand – that was my only chance before he left the country to stop -"

"Don't lie to me, Oliver. I may be naïve, but I am definitely not stupid. You're still in love with her."

He opened his mouth to deny it, but she only smiled sadly at him. He wanted to deny it, with everything he was – but something stopped him, something stuck deep within his heart that refused to let go. He couldn't deny something that was still there, no matter how much he wanted to give his heart to the beautiful woman in front of him.

He didn't have to anyway – she saw right through him.

"Felicity, don't. Let's not," he didn't want to see the tears welling up in her eyes.

"Why shouldn't we? There's never going to be a moment like this again. You're blinded by your love for her – so much that you risked the man who has stood by your side regardless of everything. He had your back when you thought he didn't, Oliver. He was there. Would you pick Laurel over me if I was in danger?" she didn't bother masking the betrayal and anger in her voice. It was too late for niceties; she was going to smack him in the face with reality, just like it had done to her. She wasn't going to laugh it off, or make a stupid comment to ease the tension surrounding them. Not when one of them had just walked out the door.

Her head was screaming at her to do the same. Just grab your bag and leave. Leave all of it behind before your heart is crushed into dust. But she couldn't; she wouldn't without knowing.

"Would you still stand by her, no questions asked, if I was the one who had been in danger?"

"Felicity -"

"Answer me."

"I will protect you no matter what, Felicity. You know that."

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but I don't think I can believe that anymore."

He could have sworn time stopped. There had been many times when time had been meaningless – when he had wondered if it was moving at all. There had been days when he had forgotten the concept of time – it had been motionless in his mind. Days had blurred, weeks had merged, the years nonexistent. It had started ticking again when he had returned, reminding him of his purpose. His mission.

But in the moment, time had stopped again.

She shook her head, willing for the tears to disappear as she moved over to her bag. It was a lost war she was fighting – it was something that she had always known. What had happened to the Felicity who used to scold herself for ogling at her boss who was adamant on carrying around a washed out picture of Laurel Lance? What had happened to the Felicity who had kept her slight distance from him? What had happened to the Felicity that had never forgotten how complicated his life was?

It was her own fault that she had let her heart do as it pleased.

"Are you leaving too?"

She nearly blanched at his tone, so broken and defeated. She resisted the urge to turn around, not trusting herself at what she might see on his face if she did. She was going to listen to her head instead – after all, hadn't her mind got her through everything else she had ever faced?

Shoving her tablet into her bag, she reached for her jacket and finally turned around.

"We all need the time. The stakes are too high for all of us to be at each other's throats and forget what were fighting for. You need time to sort out whatever you're going through Oliver. And I can't do this anymore. I don't think I deserve to be second best to a memory."

Letting her words hang between them, she headed for the door, the silent tears staining her cheeks as she let herself cry. Was this what heartbreak felt like? Nothing had ever prepared her for the gut wrenching feeling, as if her heart was being torn into shreds. It hurt to breathe, to try and ease the pain.

No amounts of books, research or stories could have prepared her for the blinding pain.

"Don't go."

He didn't think she had heard him. Watching her edge away, towards the door, cause panic to rise within him. He never watched them leave. He never watched the moment they walked out of his life. But he couldn't turn away. He couldn't look away and pretend she wasn't walking out of his life. The words had left his mouth unconsciously. He didn't want her to leave.

She hesitated, her steps coming to a halt.

It would be too easy to stay and fall back into the oblivious routine. She knew that he felt something for her – it was always there, in his touch, in his kisses, in his smile. But she couldn't fathom the thought of living in another woman's shadow. Knowing that she was always there, lingering somewhere in the back of his mind, the corners of his heart, while he was standing by her side. She wasn't going to stay when it was perfectly clear that in Oliver's world, Laurel was slightly above everything he was standing for.

So she walked out the Foundry, never looking back.