A/N: 2x03-after Felicity gets hurt. Just a little follow up that needed to happen. Tried to keep it as canonish as possible.

She'd been so sure of herself when she'd stood up and told Oliver and Digg she'd do this. She'd be the bait. She'd go and buy the face cream and walk out onto the streets and wait for a psychopathic murderer to snatch her. Easy.

By the fourth store her false bravado was long gone. This was the fourth time now she'd walked out of a store and tried not to run. Tried to calm her racing heart. Tried not to scan the rooftops for Oliver.

But something felt different this time. The fine hairs on the back of her neck raised and she couldn't keep the tremor out of her voice when she spoke. She knew they were all there, that they all had eyes on her. Even Digg, who Lance didn't know about. It had taken everything in her not to look at him as she'd walked past the car he was in.

Her mistake was to not watch where she was going.

She thought she'd been scared before. The casino had been scary. Gun held to her head. Scary. Helena holding a crossbow on her. Scary.

Being grabbed by a man who turned women into dolls was on par with the foundry crumbling around her as the Glades fell. Terrified was a better adjective.

She barely got a scream out before a hard hand was clamped over her mouth and she was being dragged into a back alley.

She heard them in her ear, Digg's muffled curse and Lance calling for backup. Oliver was silent but that was because she knew he was running.

Mathis was strong, but his moves were desperate and sloppy. Somehow over the rush of blood to her ears she heard the unmistakable sound of an arrow cutting through the air and Mathis jerked back some, but it was enough. She fought out of his hold, pushing off him as she tore from his arms. He lunged at her, just catching her back.

Her momentum was too strong and Mathis knocked her off balance just enough to send her sprawling forward. Her head hit the unyielding concrete sending a burst of pain through her that left her dazed and breathless.

She lay slumped on the cold wet ground, unable to open her eyes. All she could feel was the pain radiating out from her head. Her entire world was throbbing agony as white lights burst behind her closed eyes.

Then Oliver was there. She couldn't open her eyes, but she could feel him, smell him, sense him. The space around her was suddenly safe.

His hand fell to her waist, "You alright? Don't move." he told her, as she dropped her hand to lay on his, wishing she could feel him instead of his glove. She wanted to tell him to go catch Mathis, but all she could think in her hurting, dazed state was how glad she was he was there. She reached for him with her other hand, or tried to at least, she only got as far as his boot. Her fingers tried to tighten over the leather, to let him know she'd be okay.

There was another presence next to her, and Oliver's voice again, "She hit her head." before his hand slipped away.

Digg was there, his hands gently probing through her hair until she groaned and tried to pull back when he found the spot.

"Hey, can you open your eyes?" he asked, and she tried.

Through half-slitted eyes she saw him hovering over her. "Good girl. Anything else hurt?"

She shook her head and regretted it immediately. A strong hand slid under her back and sat her up. The world spun and she leaned heavily into his shoulder as he gave her a moment.

"I hate to do this, but we've got to go. Lance has already called for backup." and before she could even process what he meant he was standing her up.

Her stomach rolled and it took her clutching his arm and taking several slow deep breaths before she didn't' feel like she was going to get sick.

Digg's arm wrapped around her waist, supporting almost all of her weight as he guided her out of the alleyway. When they reached the street she stopped him and turned back. "Wait, Oliver…" she mumbled

He kept her moving as fast as he dared, sirens were getting closer and she knew the last thing they needed was to be in the middle of that.

By the time they reached the car her feet were barely touching the ground, he sat her in the car and raced to the other side.

Digg kept up a steady stream of conversation on the way back to the lair and at some point a part of her brain that wasn't drowning in pain knew that he was doing it to keep her conscious. By the time they got back she was slumped against the window, hardly hearing what he was saying.

She remembered him carrying her down the stairs and laying her on the table. Something soft was slipped under her head, and when she winced against the bright lights he turned them down. He sat her up long enough to get her to swallow some pills and her head stung when he cleaned it up.

The next thing she knew was waking up to something cold on her head. She blinked open her eyes to see Oliver crouched in front of her as she lay on the couch. His hood was pushed back but the paint was gone and he held an ice pack to her head.

"Hey," she said hoarsely

"Hey," he replied

"Did you get him?" she asked, even though she could tell by the way his jaw was set he hadn't.

His head shook once, "No."

"Sorry, I should have…" she began but he cut her off by grabbing her wrist.

"Don't." he said forcefully, "Don't apologize."

His fingers wrapped around her loosely, the thumb lightly rubbing across her pulse point. "I'm just glad you're okay."

Tears pricked her eyes as the terror she'd felt earlier came flooding back. She took a shuddering breath and let it out slowly. "You're safe, I'll get him." he assured her and she tried to give him a smile.

He put the ice pack off to the side and pulled the blanket up higher his hand coasting over her shoulder as he did. Just as he went to stand up she tangled her fingers with his and gave them a squeeze. She let her hand fall out of his as her eyes shut.

She fell asleep to the comforting murmur of Oliver and Digg's voices and the smell of leather.