It had been almost a week now since the "incident" at Thea's birthday happened. Ray finally went back to work after asking me a hundred (if not a thousand times) if I was sure I'd be alright at home alone, and not to worry because Felicity would come to check in on me at lunch.

A little after noon, Felicity showed up as promised with veggie lo mein.

"I'm sorry Ray made you come over, I'm really okay."

"I know you are, but he's worried about you. And if it makes him feel better for me to take an extra hour at lunch to come hang out with you, I'll take it."

"So how long have you known Ray now?"

"Um, it seems like a long time, but I guess it's really not. A few months now, maybe more. But it's been great, you know, working for him. Having an actual job with an actual pay check. And he's pretty easy on the eyes too, which is a bonus. But you probably don't want to hear that-I'm so sorry. I'll shut up now." Felicity readjusted her glasses and stared into her pho. She was so cute.

"No, no it's really okay. He is very handsome, and kind, and smart. I can see why you like him so much." She blushed at this, and seemed to be deciding what to say next.

"Oh, I mean, he's a really amazing boss and…do I really make it that obvious?"

I laughed. "Kind of. But I also knew how he felt about you when I met you, so maybe that just made me pay attention to it more."

"He told you, how he feels about me? What did he say, exactly? I mean…you know."

"It's more how he acts around you. I've seen Ray with other women, he was always so confident and composed, but when it comes to you….well. That all goes out the window. I've never seen him like this before."

She seemed to beam and blush at the same time. We finished up the rest of our lunch in silence.

"Well, I better be getting back. But Ray said he'll be home tonight in time for dinner, hopefully. He'll call if not."

"Okay sounds good." I walked Felicity to the door. "Oh, Felicity?"

"Yes?" She turned around and I wrapped my arms around her.

"Thank you, for everything. I'm so happy to have met you."

"Of course, Bennett. Me too. Let me know if you need anything, okay?"

I watched to make sure she made it in her car okay, then I closed the door and headed back upstairs. I wandered through the library, looking for something to occupy my time and my mind. I had just settled on a dusty old book when the doorbell rang. I assumed it was probably Felicity, having forgotten something here. But when I opened the door, I audibly gasped.

"Hey, I'm sorry I didn't mean to startle you. I just came to see if you had already eaten."

"Oliver, uh, please…come in."

I came out of the kitchen carrying two glasses of fresh lemonade. The picture of Oliver sitting on the couch in Ray's living room was almost too weird for me. Given what I knew about his and Felicity's past, and his obvious disdain for Ray, I guessed he had never been here. Or thought he would ever be here, for that reason.

"Did you want something to eat? I can make you some pasta if you want."

"Oh, no, thank you. I'm not that hungry. Thanks." He took the lemonade from me and drank half of it instantly.

"So, is everything alright?" I couldn't fathom why he would show up here. Did he need something from me? Dirt on Ray to give to Felicity, maybe?

"Yes, everything's fine. I just came here to see if, well to see if you wanted to go to lunch first, but also just to…to talk." Wait, what?

"Oh, really? I mean you're welcome anytime obviously, and I'm glad you came. But, what do you want to talk about? Ray? Felicity?"

"No, I uh, I thought maybe you could tell me some more about your dad, and I could tell you about mine."

"Okay. You first."

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Ray angrily fussed with the belt on his A.T.O.M. suit. Things just weren't working as well as he hoped. Felicity had offered to help him, taken back her offer, then ended up helping him anyway all in the last week. He was so close to perfecting it, but even with Felicity's help the suit was still draining power too quickly.

Sighing, he closed the door to his office and headed downstairs. He met Felicity at the car with plans to pick up a couple pizzas and head back to his place.

He was excited to have Felicity over, but worried how Bennett would handle it. Sure he knew they both got along, but he didn't want her to feel like the third wheel or anything.

He caught Felicity fixing her hair while walking up his front steps, and grabbed her hand softly to calm her.

"You look beautiful." She blushed the most wonderful shade of pink.

"Thank you." Ray slid his key into the lock and opened the door.

"Bennett? It's me. And Felicity. We brought pizza!" Ray turned the corner into the living room, Felicity's hand still in his, and almost dropped the pizzas out of his other hand. Oliver was here, laughing, with Bennett. "Bennett? What's, uh, what's going on?"

"Oliver?" Felicity seemed just as surprised as he was.

"Hey guys, Oliver stopped by earlier. I guess I didn't realize how late it was. Do you want to stay for pizza?" Ray was growing more confused by the second.

"Umm, I probably should be getting home."

Not wanting to be a rude host, Ray insisted Oliver stay for at least one slice.

A few minutes later, everyone was seated around the dining table, eating their greasy pizza in silence.

"So, Ray how was your first day back at work?"

"Great. Busy, but great. I heard you and Felicity had a good time at lunch."

"Yes, we did. It was so nice of you to come, Felicity." Silence again. Everyone seemed uncomfortable, except Bennett.

"Anyone need a refill?" Bennett got up and went to the kitchen to grab some more wine.

Felicity immediately grilled Oliver. "What are you doing here, Oliver? How did you even know where Ray lived?"

"I know how to work a computer, too, Felicity." He didn't say the words harshly, but Felicity still looked taken aback. "And I just came to check up on her. Make sure the Mirakuru really was out of her system."

"So you just decided to Google Ray's address, pop in, and then stay all day? What in the world did you two talk about? You and she barely even say two words half the time-"

Bennett came back then, balancing two bottles of wine and an extra glass in her hands. Oliver shot up and reached for one of the bottles before she dropped one.

"Thanks, I think I was a little over ambitious there."

Ray watched, intrigued, as Bennett smiled, laughed, and joked with Oliver. He hadn't seen her act this way, or this happy, since she came home. Ray glanced over to Felicity to see if she was noticing this change in Bennett, but instead he saw her intrigue was with Oliver. Suddenly, Ray didn't feel so hungry anymore.

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Felicity left Ray's apartment feeling strange. Ray and Bennett had both asked her to stay the night, but the night was just too weird. She needed to go home alone and think about it. Oliver had left shortly before she did after getting a call from Diggle. The Arrow was needed. But before he left, he had hugged Bennett goodbye. A few days ago, Oliver looked at Bennett like she was a bug stuck to the bottom of his shoe, and now he came to see her and hugged her goodbye?

And what about the way he was acting? All smiley and laughing. The way he looked at Bennett when she wasn't looking at him. He hadn't glared at Ray one time the whole night. What was wrong with him? What was wrong with Felicity? Why did she care so much? She wasn't actually jealous…was she?

Ray was amazing. So gorgeous, so smart, so funny. He was willing to tell her everything. No secrets. That was already more than Felicity ever got from Oliver in all the time she knew him. She should be happy. She would be happy.

At home, she turned on a cheesy romantic comedy and tried to forget how weird the night had been.

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The next day passed slowly. Felicity didn't come to see me at lunch, nor did Ray. When he wasn't home for dinner, I called his cell to see if I should wait for him to eat or not. He told me he and Felicity had a meeting with the mayor or someone, so I decided to make some mac and cheese. I had just finished packing up the leftovers with a note for Ray to eat them when the phone rang. The caller ID read it was Felicity.

"Hey, Felicity. What's up-"

"Bennett? You need to get to the hospital. Now."

"Felicity? What's going on?" I was already searching for my boots, frantically tying the laces.

"It's Ray. Bennett, he's been shot." My stomach fell and my ears started ringing. I could hear Felicity saying something else on the phone, but I had already dropped it and ran for the door. I raced downstairs and headed for the hospital. It was a few miles away, but I didn't care. I knew I couldn't stand to idly sit in a cab. This way was probably faster anyway. I didn't stop, not even at street crossings-narrowly missing a few drivers-until I made it to the hospital.

"I'm looking for Ray Palmer."

"Bennett!" I turned and found Felicity with an older looking woman in a tight dress.

"Felicity, what happened."

"Ray's in surgery now. There was a shooter on the roof. I don't know, I don't know what happened or how it happened but suddenly Ray was pushing me out of the way and then he was bleeding. I'm so sorry, Bennett, I'm so sorry. I don't know, I don't know." The older woman rubbed Felicity's arms, and my shocked mind took in that they looked similar. Her mother.

I couldn't manage any words. So instead I found the first bathroom I could. My breathing was uneven, my mind was unfocused. The feeling came back, in a wave. In a dark cloud that overcame me both silently and abruptly. I looked at myself in the mirror and splashed some cold water on my face, trying to slow my speeding heart. Breathe, just breathe. I reminded myself over and over again.

I left the waiting room and went to sit by Felicity and her mom. Felicity grabbed my hand, and I squeezed it in hopes that she would know I wasn't mad at her, nor did I blame her.

After what felt like a lifetime, the doctor came to tell us that Ray was stable for now. Which was never a good sign. He was sleeping now, but when he was awake we could go back and see him.

"Ray!" Felicity and I entered his room a few hours later. Felicity crying, running to his side. I hung back. Taking in all the tubes and wires connected to him. The constant beeping and whirring of machines, grating on my nerves. Memories of the hospital in London surfaced, unwanted. I clenched my fist, pressing my nails into my palm.

"Bennett, I'm okay. It's okay." I walked over to his side, and hung my head onto his good shoulder. I thought I would cry, but no tears came. I felt his hand twisting into my hair. And I closed my eyes.

The doctor came by the next morning to give us the news. Blood clot in the brain. Another operation was out of the question. But Ray had some kind of nano technology that he had invented. He had never tried it before, and I was hesitant if it would actually work. I knew he was a genius, but even genius ran trials on their experiments.

Around noon, I left his room to go for a walk outside. I needed the fresh air. Around the back of the hospital was a small park, complete with a fountain and little benches lined up around it. I sat down in one of them, turning my face up towards the sun.

"Mind if I sit down?" I didn't have to open my eyes. I knew who it was by his voice, and by the way my lips creased into a smile.

"I suppose not." Opening them, I saw Oliver in a dark green shirt.

"I went and checked on Ray. He told me you were out here."

"Did he tell you, about the clot?"

"Felicity filled me in. I'm so sorry." Oliver squeezed my hand, and I felt pangs of sadness when he let go.

"He has some kind of tiny robots or something that he thinks can break up the clot in his brain, but I'm worried. What if it kills him instead?"

"I guess you'll just have to let him decide what he thinks is best."

We watched some children throw coins into the fountain, and I remembered a time many years ago.

"Come on, Bennett. Make a wish!"

"I'm supposed to make a wish, on a penny, and throw it into a fountain of water?"

"Yes! Make it a good one, too."

"And everyone does this? Make a wish on a coin? Is it the coin or the fountain that is supposed to make my wish come true?"

"Both, I guess! Just do it, what could it hurt?" Ray smiled goofily at me, as he always did. The concept of having him as a brother was still so new to me. I had been adopted by his parents several months ago, but he was away at college and I had only met him a few times. This was our first time hanging out alone together. I think he was trying hard to be the "cool big brother". Ice cream, arcades, and now this. A magical fountain.

Leaning over the edge, I saw thousands of pennies mixed with a few dimes and nickels in the fountain, and assumed he must be telling the truth.

So I turned around, closed my eyes, and wished that I wouldn't lose this brother, too.

I threw the penny over my shoulder, and after hearing the "plunk" of it hitting the water, Ray clapped his hands together and laughed again.

"Finally! You did it! What did you wish for?"

"Can't tell you. Then it won't come true, right?"

Now, I had the strange urge to put a penny into this fountain, and make the same wish again. I wasn't sure if every fountain was lucky, or if you could make the same wish twice, but I didn't feel like there was anything else I could do.

I was seriously debating on asking Oliver for a coin, when his phone rang. Felicity wanted us to come back to the room. Ray's clot was gone. He was healed.

On the way back to the room, I took one last glance at the fountain.