Disclaimer: See chapter one

Please see my A/N below for further information.

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Chapter 33 – Spotlight on Red

As she stood looking out of the window at her part of Starling City, a pair of arms wound their way around Felicity's slender waist and a chin rested upon her shoulder as Oliver literally wrapped his body around her. She immediately rested one hand on his as she raised the other to cup his cheek.

"You're going to disappear, aren't you?" Her voice was soft, barely audible.

"I can't..., I just can't..." He said as he tightened his hold on her and hid his face in her loose hair. Both knew that he left unspoken the words 'bury another parent'.

"And Thea?"

"Look after her for me." He pressed a kiss to her neck and then pulled her round so that he could look into her sorrowful but understanding eyes. "I'm sorry. I said that I would never run out on you again."

She immediately cupped his face with both her hands. "And you haven't, you've told me before you went this time and you know that no matter where you go..."

"You'll always find me." He lifted her up so that she was at eye level with him, "I love you Felicity."

"I love you too." She moved her hands from his cheeks so that her arms were wrapped around his neck as they kissed softly, "But if you're gone for too long, I will shout at you."

"I wouldn't expect anything else." He kissed her again before lowering her feet to the ground once more.

He started for her door, picking up the backpack he had placed there but dropped it suddenly. Seconds later, they were in each other's arms again, kissing each other with as much passion (and considering it is Felicity and Oliver, that's quite a lot) as possible before he released her and almost ran out of her home.

The sound of his bike was clear as it was throttled away from her home and Felicity bowed her head, tears falling softly down her cheeks.

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Several days later, Walter Steel stood at the bottom of the stairs watching his former step-daughter. She seemed so fragile as she stood looking out of the window, the all encompassing black seeming to shrink her rather than boost her.

In fact, he was so wrapped up in his fears for her; he was stunned when she suddenly moved from the window to run to the front door and threw it open. The next thing he heard was "Felicity!" as the teenager threw herself into the blonde's arms.

Felicity gently led Thea back into the house, John Diggle closing the door behind them, glancing over to where the other man stood. "Mr Steele."

"Mr Diggle." He responded as they both watched Felicity lead Thea back into the small sitting room. "Is Oliver not with you?"

"No." Diggle maintained his stoic composure and Walter found himself merely nodding in acceptance.

Thea on the other hand was not so accepting and Felicity was currently sitting on the sofa with the teenager in her arms, head on her shoulder, allowing her to cry. "But I need him!"

"I know." Felicity ran her hand gently through Thea's hair and steeled herself for the reaction she would likely receive. "But at the moment all Oliver can see is his bare hands digging the grave for your father."

Thea winced at that, clearly objecting to the reference of Robert Queen as her father and Felicity reacted swiftly. "No matter the truth of your paternity, Thea, Robert Queen was your father." Her voice was stern. "Malcolm Merlyn merely donated his DNA."

Thea raised her head, looking away and Felicity sighed, knowing that it was still going to take some time for the younger woman to accept the truth as she was still too hurt and still quite frankly growing up.

The silence was broken by the arrival of Raisa into the room. "Miss Thea, Mr Steele, the cars are here. It's time."

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Felicity stood in the middle of crowded room, soft tears falling down her cheeks as she watched the angry Thea take condolences from those who were attending the wake – eyes that turned a rather steely colour as she heard Sebastian Blood speak to her and then to Laurel.

Tears still falling, she let her hair fall forward over her face to hide her scowl – the look on the other woman's face combined with what Blood had to say had Felicity thinking that perhaps the elder Lance daughter had not been quite off the beaten path as they all thought she had been where the new mayor was concerned.

'And I bet if I really did a deep search, I'd find that a certain Australian bank-rolled his campaign through the other un-nameable...' She censored her own thoughts there as she felt someone touch her shoulder with a handkerchief.

"Hey."

She turned to find Diggle behind her and managed to smile at him as she took the offering. "Thanks, I don't even know why I'm crying, you know how I really felt about her, even after that last conversation with her at Verdant."

"You're crying because Oliver won't." Diggle replied simply before pausing, "Felicity, tell me you at least know where he is."

She merely raised an eyebrow in response, refusing to admit to anything – which considering the voice that spoke next was actually a good thing.

"If Oliver's smart, he ran back to his island to hide." Isabel Rochev stood behind them smirking. "But maybe he'll attend your funerals."

Felicity, a cool calm coming over her that she owed to her mother's training, merely raised an eyebrow at her, "Or more likely yours, Isabella."

The use of the full version of her name seemed to wipe the smirk off the brunette's face and she walked away, clearly unable to respond.

"Felicity, sometimes you scare me." Diggle murmured as the two looked at each other and then after the brunette. "But at least we now have confirmation that Slade did give her the mirakuru."

"An equally good and bad thing," Felicity responded as she caught the gaze of a young woman just off to one side and nodded slightly, "As Sherlock likes to say, things are afoot, Watson."

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"No! No, no, no!" Felicity spun round to glare at Diggle. "We are so not going to go there and ask that... that person to look for Oliver."

"Felicity..." Diggle sighed and for the first time since knowing her, wished that she wasn't actually as stubborn as her male other-half. "We have to find him; he has to know about Isabel and we have to find Sara."

"We were already sure that Slade had given her the mirakuru, Digg and Sara doesn't need finding," Felicity shot back as she moved from Roy's side to her computers to check the programs she had running. "Sara gone to see the one person she thinks knows her better than anyone."

"And that person's not in Starling City I take from how little you're worried about her being missing." Diggle growled.

"She's not missing, she's just relocated herself" was Felicity's surprising response.

Deciding he was not going to get anywhere with that particular track, Diggle turned back to the missing archer. "What about Oliver, Felicity, he needs to know she's crawled out from under the rock she's been hiding under then." Diggle shot back. "You know that just as well as I do."

"On your head be it then for the favour Amanda Waller is going to demand in return." She shot back as she snatched up her coat. She started for the stairs, only stopping when she realised that he was not following her. "Digg, if we're going, we're going now."

He did not however hear her murmur, "But I'm only doing this for you because I already know where he is."

Ten minutes later, Felicity pulled her phone out of her pocket and raised an eyebrow at the caller on the screen. She looked up at Diggle with a strange smirk to her eyes. "I have to take this, Digg."

He raised an eyebrow back at her but nodded, watching her as she walked away. "Just what are you up to Felicity and why do I get the feeling the other side is not going to be happy about it."

"You can speak." Felicity said softly. "I take it she made the move I thought she would."

"Verdant" came back the swift reply.

"You did as I requested."

"I did and as you also requested, neither women are aware of it."

"So be it, resume your watch." Felicity sighed as she ended the call. As much as she hated throwing another blow at the teenager, they needed the other side to believe that they had taken something else from the Queen family – even though the club was still safe in their hands.

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Diggle and Felicity entered the secondary lair that A.R.G.U.S had found for them (for Diggle, Felicity silently corrected – she had got what she wanted out of the visit and that was the knowledge that they had the new F15 not on release yet. No matter what anyone said, Felicity Smoak was an IT geek at heart!).

The moment he heard their footsteps, Oliver merely leant his head against the post he was leaning and held out an arm. Five seconds later, Felicity was across the room and curled up on his lap, arms around his neck as he wrapped his around her waist, foreheads resting against each other.

Diggle raised an eyebrow as he realised that somehow the younger man had actually been waiting for them to arrive – and that Felicity had known exactly where he was.

"I should have known that you knew exactly where he was." He growled as he drew closer. "How long have you had this place?"

"From the beginning," Oliver replied as Felicity shifted in his lap slightly to lay her head on his shoulder. "In case the Foundry was compromised but it became somewhere I could go and be alone."

"And Felicity..." Diggle glared at the young woman curled up on Oliver's lap (she had just opened her eyes and catching the glare, stuck her tongue out at him in response). "Because it's clear she knows about this place."

"I knew about it but this is the first time I've been here." She shot back before raising her head so that she could look Oliver in the eyes. "You're dressed for the funeral."

"I... started for the cemetery but I just..." He rested his head against hers again. "She's dead because of me." He rose to his feet pulling her with him as he did so, his arm around her waist keeping her close to his side. "Because I decided five years ago not to give Slade the cure, everyone I care about is in his crosshairs."

He looked down at her for a moment as if memorising everything about her and then slowly pushed her to Diggle. "Just after she died, Slade said that there was one more person who had to die. I'm going to turn myself over to him to end this vendetta."

"No, you're wrong." Felicity moved back towards him, grabbing his belt with both hands. "You're wrong Oliver."

"Felicity sweetheart, someone once told me that the essence of heroism is to die so that others can live." He stared down into her eyes.

"It's not that simple, Oliver," Diggle refuted.

"Yes it is." He replied softly, reluctantly turning from her to look at his friend."Slade's whole plan was to take everything from me. He did. He wins. All that's left is for me to die."

"There has to be another way because I'm telling you Oliver Queen, I'm not letting you go without a fight." Felicity grabbed him again, "I had no choice the last time but this time I do. There has to be another way."

"There isn't." He started to walk away but as he did, Felicity caught hold of him again, spun him round... and hit him. "Felicity!"

"I'm telling you there's another way." She grabbed him and shook him. "We just have to find it because something tells me that he always intended your mother to die, Oliver, we just have to find out why."

"Then you can keep looking but until then..." He looked down at her and cupped her cheeks. "I'm doing this my way." He bent down and kissed her softly, murmuring against her lips. "Please find something because dying means losing you and I really don't want to do that."

He caressed her cheek one last time and turning, walked away from the woman he loved.

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Two hours later, he found himself looking up into her eyes as she bent over him where he sat in her chair in the lair. "Felicity..."

"I told you I would find a way." She murmured as she pressed a kiss to his forehead as his arms went around her waist, holding her to him. "Unfortunately, she's found a way into our lives after all. After you left, I got a call from Detective Lance. You have to listen to what she has to say, Oliver."

"Who..." He looked up at her and she moved to his side in his embrace to reveal Laurel Lance standing in the lair. "Laurel..."

Running her hand through his hair, Felicity moved aside so that Laurel could speak freely to him but the whole time she spoke, Oliver kept his gaze on her not Laurel. That was until Laurel told him that Slade had killed his mother so that Sebastian Blood could become mayor.

At that he had reached out to catch Felicity by the waist and pull her back to his side. Laurel hesitated at the move but he waved her on. "You were right about him. The man in the skull mask works for Slade Wilson. It was Sebastian."

He looked down at Felicity who nodded as she murmured. "I did the same hack to back it up."

"This thing that's happening..." Laurel broke in, determined to bring his attention back to her again. "It's bigger than you and Slade. This city needs the Arrow."

"And cue the dramatic music." Felicity murmured to his amusement even considering the seriousness of the current situation. "And that would be you, Oliver Queen, just in case you forgot."

He squeezed her waist. "I'll speak to Sebastian; think you and Diggle can take his bodyguard."

She grinned.

"What about me?" Laurel immediately tried to get his attention again but to her shock, he looked at her briefly before saying. "Thanks Laurel, we'll take it from here."

"But Ollie..." She tried to grab hold of his arm but Felicity somehow managed to gracefully turn them away from her.

"I think you should go back to your father." Oliver said over his shoulder even as he made sure that Felicity's grin could not be seen by the other woman. (He also did not miss the shaking shoulders of Diggle as he hid in the shadows out of sight). "And my name is Oliver."

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As Oliver sat in the restaurant, waiting for Sebastian Blood to cross the room so that he can invite him to dinner with him, Diggle grabbed the new mayor's bodyguard and took him to the basement of the building they were in.

"Clinton Hogue, I have some questions for you." Diggle moved around the tied man and pulled off the hood he had put on him.

"Do I look like the kind of man that gives away information?" The bearded man snarled back in response. "I can take a beating so go to hell."

"And if that's the way you want to play but let me tell you..." Diggle bent down to murmur in his ear. "You're going to wish I had been that type once she gets through with you."

Felicity moved out into the light, her tablet in her hands and a smile on her face that scared Diggle even as Hogue scoffed. "Hi, I'm your interrogator for tonight."

"Is this a joke?" Hogue tried to look round at Diggle.

"Oh we never joke about these things." Felicity transferred her tablet from one hand to the other and shaking her wrists, allowed her bracelets grow to full size before continuing, her smile fading. "Clinton Hogue, Social Security number 306003894."

She happily transferred his money from his Cayman Island account, actually dancing on the spot, to Diggle's amusement at his suggestion of Greenpeace before she came to her crowning piece: "And dear old mum and dad, looks like they have a nice retirement portfolio and oops! My bad! It looks like it about to go belly-up on them."

"No! Wait, what do you want to know?" Hogue literally yelled.

Felicity smiled (and this time Hogue was also genuinely scared), "Digg, your turn, I have the strangest feeling that there is somewhere else I need to be right now."

She may her way back up the restaurant just in time to hear Oliver say. "You are a pawn in a much larger game." She quickly moved to stand behind him, placing her hand on his shoulder as a silent warning to hold his temper. He immediately reached up and covered her hand with his own as he sat back in his seat.

"And good evening Ms Smoak, how nice of you to join us." Felicity merely nodded in reply as Blood also sat back in his seat, looking far too comfortable for their liking "Slade promised me City Hall and he delivered. He makes good on his promises." He picked up his water glass and took a drink. "I understand he made you a promise too."

Oliver found himself picking up the knife on the table but Felicity squeezed his shoulder in silent warning and Blood smirked again. "It's a new day in Starling City, Oliver and there is nothing you can do to stop it."

"Believe that if you must." Felicity however responded this time feeling the tension in Oliver increase exponentially. "But I think that you will find you are wrong in that belief and Slade only keeps his promises if it benefits himself."

"We shall see, Ms Smoak." His response was literally sheer arrogance.

"Yes, I think we will." She replied as she moved so that Oliver could wrap his arm around her waist. "Good evening, Mayor Blood, why don't you run along home to your master now; your presence is making me feel ill."

Only Oliver was aware that it was the princess that had ended the conversation, not the IT genius.

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Laurel stood watching as on their return to the lair, clearly on a mission. She was even further stunned when she watched Felicity take her own set of leathers from a display case and change into the vigilante her father called the Shadow before turning to her computer screens.

Diggle finished packing his duffle bag as Oliver grabbed his bow from its case and turned to look at him. "Slade's men are taking the city tonight."

"They can try." Oliver replied, his eyes steel-blue and more determined than ever before (and scared her somewhat as she had never seen him like this before. It also emphasized the fact that she really did not know him at all).

"He's got more men than we thought and all on mirakuru. This could be a massacre." Diggle added as he put a gun in the holster in the small of his back.

"Not if we get there first." Oliver touched Diggle's shoulder in silent reassurance and then moved to Felicity's side as he continued speaking (and she really did not like the way he deliberately ignored her to do so). "We stick to the plan no matter what. Felicity, what have you got?"

"Slade's using the sewer system, very appropriate don't you think." She looked up at him for a moment and he snatched the chance to kiss her before she turned back to her screen. "You can drop in at Rock Avenue and then head southeast, the lines converge at Walter Street. If Slade's army is underground, that's probably where he'll be."

"Good, let's go." He wrapped his arm around her waist as she turned away from her screens, guiding her as she tucked her tablets away in her leathers and snatched up her coat. "Digg, you ready?"

"Never not," He replied as he zipped his bag up and picked up Felicity's weapons for her.

Furious that they continued to ignore the fact that she was still standing there watching them, Laurel spoke up. "I'm coming too."

"No you're not." Oliver shot back as Felicity rolled her eyes and mouthed 'Told you so' to him.

"She's going." Laurel literally snarled her appellation for Felicity, showing her dislike for her clearly. "She can give me a radio. I'll just be your eyes and your ears. I'll stay out of your way I promise."

Oliver glanced down at the phone Felicity was holding out to him, showing him Detective Lance's face and knew what she was telling him to say. "And your father would rather you not be there. He would want you to trust me and to be safe."

"And not them, not her," Laurel said, her voice full of temper tears.

"This started with the three of us; it's time it got back to that." Oliver's voice was firm and when he turned to Felicity he found her smiling softly at him in approval. He took her hand and led the way out of the lair, Diggle close behind them.

They reached the top of the stairs and Felicity waved Diggle forward. He nodded and did as he was ordered, heading for their van while she turned to Oliver. As she always did, she pulled his mark into place and then pulled his hood over his hair. In return, he also pulled her mask into place before helping her into her coat, tying it around her waist.

He left his hands at her waist as she then raised herself on tiptoe to kiss him. "Remember always that I love you and that there is nothing in the world that will ever come between us ever again."

Wrapping his arms around her waist, he lifted her into the air and kissed her again.

"Would you object if I just said ditto?" He murmured, laughing slightly as she punched him (a punch he actually felt as she was in full Amazon mode with her leathers on).

Their moment was only broken by Diggle coming back in, "If you two have finished, we have work to do."

Both of them merely rolled their eyes at him but obeyed his silent command.

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The witching hour of change for Starling City that day was nine of the clock.

Oliver watched as Sebastian Blood once again donned the skull mask to whip up the army that Slade Wilson had obtained him through the mirakuru stolen from Roy's blood.

While above him, Diggle found himself facing the woman that he had killed – only for her to be brought back to life by her own puppet master, Isabel Rochev.

Both were guided by Felicity who would be torn by which direction she would need to head and who would need her most, when her own sense of justice wanted to take down the woman who had hurt her as much as she had hurt Oliver (especially as he now had to put up with the company of the one woman who could not seem to understand that her presence was not wanted – even though she had saved his life!)

All were unaware that one of their closest allies and friends was also about to face the chaos within the confines of his own police precinct or that Thea was also under threat when they thought she was safely leaving Starling City.

It was also the night when Felicity would be brought a ray of hope in the form of a phone call from Cisco at STAR Labs – even as the man she loved brought down the ceiling to prevent him-self and the pain in their neck being taken.

It was the night war came to Starling City and everything changed.

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It takes an entire day to write these last few episodes and wow, yet another really long one is here for you.

Look forward to seeing what you think ;op