AN: I didn't think I'd write this so quickly, but Bank Holiday Monday was good to me. I do like this part (though I'm worried you guys might not) because I think Oliver would definitely be the one to come to her. And explain himself quite thoroughly, because he owes it to her. Anyway, that's beside the point - I hope you guys enjoy this! (Also, I'm on tumblr too: the-msft-of-fandoms) xo

Felicity returned to work on Monday, deciding that she couldn't hide out forever in her apartment.

Not to mention she missed her computers more than anything.

Walking briskly to her office, she fired up the system, getting ready to start on her workload. Missing a whole week of work, not to mention staying in all weekend to continue her Buffy marathon, meant that she had an unbelievable amount to get through.

She wasn't complaining though; nothing made her happier than pesky, little errors.

Something under her keyboard caught her eye, and frowning, she pulled the small envelope out. Not knowing what to expect, she took the card out – and let out a small chuckle when she realized it was from Thea.

'Before the computers swallow you up, I'd like to remind you I will be over to continue our Buffy bonding. Expect lotsa Chinese tonight, Blondicity. T, xo'

Rolling her eyes at the terrible nickname, she put the card back down, entering her pass-code to access her system. It was funny how all of a sudden, she was very well acquainted with both the younger Queens – she would have laughed at anyone who would've suggested the unexpected friendships she'd developed. Though to be fair, she probably would of choked on her own breath too if someone had told her Oliver Queen was to come back with an alter-ego and sweep her off her feet. Shaking her head, she pushed her thoughts to the back of her mind.

Settling down, she focused on her computers only.

Oliver walked down the stairs, swinging his leather jacket on as he tried to remember where the keys to his bike were.

He had finally realized where he truly stood.

"Thea, you know what we discussed. Didn't we agree that you would at least try to study for your finals?"

Oliver turned around, watching his mother storming up behind his sister, who rolled her eyes as she hitched her Celine bag onto her shoulder.

"I'm going over to a friend's house mom; I'm not going to pump myself up in drugs. Don't worry so much," Thea retorted, knowing exactly where her mom thought she was going.

"Oliver, talk some sense into your sister," Moira turned to her son, clearly not amused.

Oliver looked over at Thea, who scoffed and shrugged.

"I've already ordered the food, my ride is outside and I'm pretty sure Felicity is the best influence I can have around me right now. So, I'm going. Not even Ollie can stop me."

"I'm not stopping you, just come – wait, Felicity? You have a friend called Felicity?"

Thea, with a smug smile on her face, winked at him. Oh, she had him good. He suddenly looked as if he'd been sucker punched straight in the stomach.

"Yep," she popped the p, moving to the door, "In fact, you know her too. Felicity Smoak, IT whizz that works at QC. Now, I'm leaving before my cab drives off without me. See you both later!"

She left both her mother and brother flabbergasted in the foyer.

It was near midnight when Thea had left, already promising another night in later on in the week. Felicity was still pleasantly surprised by how different Thea actually was to the image she had carved of the young girl in her mind. It was easy to forget that she was one of the blue-blooded of Starling City. The girl was a bundle of energy, words and innuendos.

She wasn't much different to her, if she was honest.

Stretching, she put all the empty food cartons into a bin bag, tidying up as she moved around the room. It wasn't much of a mess, mostly limited to the coffee table and the floor, but she was anxious to get into bed and sleep for seven hours straight. Buffy marathons followed by lots of boy talks wasn't how she spent most of her evenings, but she had to admit, Thea was exactly the right dosage of what she needed right now.

Talking about Oliver to his sister should've been weird, but it was weirdly enlightening.

Though when Thea had mentioned Roy and his persistent mission of finding out the vigilante's identity, she had nearly faltered. She wished she could call Oliver and tell him about her discoveries, but it wasn't as if they were even on talking terms. It looked like they wouldn't be on any sort of terms for a long time – a week and he had even given up on calling her.

She stopped moving, putting the bag down as she slowly turned around.

There he stood, in front of the window, watching her.

Her breath hitched; her heart stumbled.

They watched each other, neither moving nor speaking, both unwilling to break the sudden spell.

She ached for him. It was like an arrow to the heart, seeing him standing there, right there, watching her as if he was trying to solve something extremely complicated. Her body nearly betrayed her, wanting to run up to him and pull him into an embrace.

But she couldn't – she would stand her ground.

"I didn't know you were friends with Thea."

It was the only thing that was sensible to say. He couldn't think straight, let alone talk sense in that moment. He hadn't realized just how much he had come to rely on Felicity. How much he had appreciated not only her mind, but her touches, her smile, her kisses. There she stood, in an over-sized tank with sweats, hair wild, lips unpainted – yet she was remarkably beautiful.

"I – she was adamant on being friends. Not that I didn't want to be friends with your sister," she rushed out, realizing how rude she must be sounding, "She's awesome. But we just recently met – when she came over a week or so ago. I don't exactly remember the details. You're crowding my mind right now. I mean, I can't think right now. Or, like, ever."

She wanted to just smack herself upside the head. What was it about Oliver and awkward situations that made her excessively embarrassing?

"She could use a good friend; she's not that great at picking them normally. I went to see Diggle before I came here," he didn't know any other way of telling her what he wanted to.

"Oh – that's good. Bromance back on and everything?" she teased, wringing her hands into her tank top. The fact that she was nervous too made him feel slightly better. He was surprised that she hadn't asked him to leave yet.

"Yeah, I guess so. Truth is; I need him. I need you both, because on my own, I can't save this city. Not anymore," he stepped towards her, cautiously.

"Before you say anything, I want you to just listen. I know I hardly ever say much – I don't exactly know how to interact or let people in. Diggle and you, you both took me by surprise. I didn't think I'd have anyone so closely involved in this clusterfuck of a situation. But you stayed. Not many people would stay – and you've kept me grounded. I've gotten so used to you, Felicity, that this last week has been hell."

He took another step forward.

"I love Laurel -"

"Oliver, don't."

"I do. I love her. But I realized, both you and Thea were right. I love the memory that I've held onto. Her photo was the only thing I had left on that island from home. It kept me rooted; it pushed me to survive. And I did – I came back, still foolish enough to believe that maybe, some things hadn't changed."

He took another step, close enough to see the slight circles under her eyes.

"Just like I'm not the same, neither is Laurel. No one is. I came back and turned a blind eye to the changes. Then you waltzed in and suddenly, everything was even more of a mess in my mind. I care for you more than you can imagine – hell, when you went on that date, I don't think I've ever felt so angry and jealous in my life. It took me long enough to figure out, but I did. You are the future, Felicity."

He took that final step, face to face with her.

"You accept me for who I am. You stand by my side knowing exactly what I'm doing, exactly where I'm heading. You're not only my partner, but my equal. Yes, I love Laurel – but not in the sense I thought I did. I'm not in love with her. She doesn't make my heart beat as fast as you do," he said, pulling her hand to his chest and resting it against his heart, "She doesn't look at me the way you do. She doesn't guide me in the right direction like you have been doing. She doesn't feel right, not in the way you do."

He wrapped an arm around her waist, and pulled her in close. No, no one would ever feel quite as right as Felicity did against him. No one would smile at him as perfectly as Felicity did.

She was the perfect future to hold onto.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have put her before Diggle, you, or what I'm here to do. I'm not exactly the easiest person to deal with – there's a lot that needs work on."

"I like you just fine like this, Oliver Queen. Though I have to say, I like this whole grovelling business, because it gets you talking," she shrugged when he raised an eyebrow at her.

"You do enough speaking for both of us, Ms. Smoak."

"That's because you make me nervous and comfortable at the same time, and my brain automatically spews out whatever it wants to. Plus, if I didn't babble as much as I did, I probably won't be very good at what I do. Talking out loud helps me solve whatever I have to – and that's something that's useful for you -"

He shut her up by pulling her up on her toes and kissing her.

It wasn't like their kisses before. He kissed her with a message behind his lips.

He was finally where he belonged.

Hands winding up into his hair, she anchored herself to him, afraid that if she didn't, her knees would give away. They held onto each other, lips fitted perfectly, heart against heart, beating as one.

No one had quite apologized to Felicity in such a way.

But then again, she hadn't quite loved anyone like she loved Oliver.