A/N: I've got about eleventy hundred fic ideas for after the finale. This is just one of them. Spoilers for 2x23

Enjoy, and let me know what you think!

The wait to find out Oliver's fate was worse than having to wait alone in the mansion for Slade's men to come take her. The Lance sisters were comforting each other with Nyssa looking on, but Felicity couldn't keep from pacing a short track back and forth on the plaza Sara had taken them to.

"We'll know soon enough," she'd said, trying to put her fears at ease but Felicity could see the worry in her eyes. Felicity's comm link had been taken from her and not knowing what was going on with Oliver and Digg was wearing at her.

Still shaking from the adrenaline high she'd been on since Slade had first put his blade to her throat she wrapped her arms around her middle and tried not to think the worst. Even though she'd understood Oliver's plan as soon as he'd pushed the syringe into her hands she hadn't really let herself think about what it meant, just that she had to find a way to make it work. There were lots of things she wasn't letting herself think about that had happened that night.

Just before she could fall back into memories from the mansion and the way Oliver had looked there was the whirl of a helicopter from behind her.

Sara started forward but stopped when they saw Digg in the open door, smiling down at them. Felicity felt the breath leave her lungs as she let out a relieved gasp, already moving forward as Digg lept from the chopper before it had even touched down.

She crashed into his chest and immediately began asking questions, "Slade...the drones...Oliver? I lost my comm and…"

Digg's hands settled on her shoulder and squeezed once. "He did it, Felicity, it's over. Waller called off the drones in time,"

"Oh!" for a moment it was all she could say, her hand coming up to cover her mouth but Digg just smiled again in understanding.

"Good," she said slightly choked, "I mean...I didn't know it was going to work. Letting yourself be a trojan horse...I've done it with computers but never with my own self." a nervous laugh emerged as Digg stepped back slightly, brow quirking in confusion. "I used that move you taught me though, the one where you slam your stick backwards without looking. Except it wasn't a stick, it was a syringe filled with the cure, but it was still the same you know and I kept my elbow up and everything. Funny the stuff you remember…" she trailed off because the look in his eyes was going from worry to understanding and quickly to anger,

"I'm guessing by the growly face Oliver never told you about our plan, huh?"

"No, he did not," Digg replied, clipped and short as he crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at her sternly,

"Okay, well...it all worked I mean Slade never saw it coming and that was not a crack about him only having one eye…"

"You offered yourself up as bait?"

Swallowing hastily she adjusted her glasses and looked down before answering, "Not exactly offered. Look...that's not important. The important thing is that it worked and he underestimated me. I was able to inject him with the cure and…" she trailed off as her eyes unknowingly filled with tears, the true fear she'd felt suddenly overwhelming her,

Digg sighed heavily and gave her a long look she knew meant he was going to stop asking questions for now but they'd be revisiting this conversation before he reached out and pulled her in for another hug. "I'm just glad you're okay," he said softly as she sniffled into his shirt, "Ready to go get our boy?"

"Yeah," she nodded and let him lead her to the chopper,

Less than a minute later they were on the roof, Oliver standing twenty feet from where Slade was tied to a pillar.

The bow was almost limp in his hand, hood pushed back, and he looked more tired than she'd ever seen him, but when he heard the chopper and looked up their eyes met and she could see the change in him and her heart swelled with pride.

Digg helped her down and as much as she wanted to race across the open space she held herself back. But he didn't look away for a second and she could see all the raw, wild emotion that ran through him just then. Everything was too present, too real, too much.

Digg was a step ahead and reached him first, hand coming out to clap him on the back, "Good job," he said softly and Oliver nodded as she joined them.

"Looks like you did it," she said quietly motioning with her head towards Slade,

"We did it,"

And for a second the world fell away leaving nothing but the two of them.

"We did it," she confirmed in a voice so affected hardly any sound came out but his smile was all she needed to see to know he'd heard her.

Lyla approached from behind breaking Felicity's gaze from where it was locked on Oliver,

"Waller's ready to transport him," she said, tipping her chin in the direction of a second chopper that was setting down, a team of armed ARGUS agents emerging.

"Where are you taking him?" Oliver questioned,

"Right now, to a temporary holding facility at headquarters. After that it's up to you and Waller,"

She gave him a dip of her chin and slid her hand down John's arm to grasp his hand, "Ready?"

Felicity couldn't help the way her eyes darted from the small moment shared between the couple to Oliver who seemed to be looking as well.

Then they were heading back to the helicopter where she was sandwiched between the sidewall and Oliver in the back row, his thigh quiver pushing painfully into her leg but not enough for her to say anything. His warmth and presence was what she needed as they flew high over the city and saw the carnage that lay below.

When she couldn't hide her tears his hand reached over and found hers, gloved fingers squeezing tight and she clung to him until they set down on the roof of ARGUS's headquarters.

The following few hours were a whirlwind. Lyla had taken pity on her and given her a change of clothes and pointed out a place where she could shower and clean up. After that she'd wandered the halls until she found her way back to the room where Oliver and Amanda were still hashing out the details of Slade's detainment.

Felicity fell into a chair out of the way, the past day catching up with her, suddenly feeling every ache from the van crashing, and the throb in her left shoulder where Slade had kept her arm wrenched behind her back.

She hadn't meant to fall asleep, but when she woke up she smelled something familiar and comforting and blinked open blurry eyes to see the dark green of Oliver's hooded jacket only inches from her face. As she sat up slowly it slipped down off her shoulders where it had been laid and she grabbed it before it could hit the floor.

Looking around she didn't see anyone close by and with a groan she forced herself to her feet, jacket clenched in one hand.

As soon as she came around the corner she saw him, now in dark jeans and a pullover, face a mess of cuts and bruises, but with that same lightness about him that hadn't been there before.

"A plane already left with Slade, I was waiting on you…"

"Where are we going?" she asked without hesitation, because she knew she'd never let him take this final step alone, and as Digg stepped up to join them she knew he wouldn't either.

"Lian Yu," Oliver answered,

Of course. There was no other option.

She took a deep breath and shifted forward, giving him a tight lipped smile, "I'm ready,"