Arrow is not mine. Unfortunately. Lots of time jumps in this chapter because this part was pretty action packed during the show.

Oliver Queen was not in a good mood. Everything had been off since he had heard Barry describe someone that, until that morning, had only been a ghost of his past. If Oliver hadn't been distracted by Barry and Felicity's proximity to each other, he would have come to the realization that everything had been off long before that morning. Nothing had sit right with him since the night Felicity told him about her mother. Felicity wasn't the same. They weren't the same and it bothered him more than he cared to admit.

He had planned on spending the day following them around, not trusting Barry and wanting to keep Felicity close, but his plans were abruptly cut short when his phone began to violently buzz in his pocket. He tore his eyes away from the two who were sitting far too close for his liking and checked his phone to find a text message from Thea. The developments of the morning had caused the matter of his mother's assimilation back into QC to slip his mind. Oliver groaned under his breath.

When he looked up at Felicity, he felt the tiniest sting. Felicity was always so attuned to Oliver that he could barely scratch an itch without her worrying or commenting, but this time his groan had gone unnoticed. He wasn't sure why it stung, but the bitter taste in his mouth was a testament to it.

He watched her for a moment as she spoke to Barry, a strand of gold falling from her ponytail. Her bright blue eyes shone with excitement and her full fuchsia lips parted slightly as she listened to Barry speak. She listened with rapt attention and that did little to dull the sting. Felicity Smoak was beautiful. Oliver had noticed it from the moment he set eyes on her, but they had their parts to play and Oliver had never played the part of devoted boyfriend well. Felicity deserved so much more. So much more than him. So much more than Barry Allen.

As Oliver continued to watch her, for a while he let himself imagine a world in which nothing had changed between them, but so much had. This job had had changed them. Russia changed them. Her mom passing had changed them. A sharp pang in his chest made him pinpoint what it was that he was really feeling, but he shut it down quickly. There wasn't any room for that.

"Mr. Diggle," Oliver addressed John formally.

"Yes, Mr. Queen," Dig asked, unable to keep the corners of his mouth from turning upward.

"Change of plans. We're going to have to return home after dropping off Ms. Smoak and Mr. Allen."

Felicity's eyes finally met Oliver's, her eyebrows lifting imperceptibly as if asking a question. He blinked assuredly at her; it was his own way of letting her know that he everything was okay. She offered Oliver a half smile before turning back to Barry and their conversation on the S.T.A.R Labs' particle accelerator.

"Yes, sir," Diggle responded. To anyone else, Diggle's voice sounded formal and obedient; however, Oliver heard the mirth in his tone and knew in that instant that Diggle was replaying a conversation they had not too long ago. The memory struck him and Oliver couldn't help but roll his eyes when the words entered his mind: Well it could be worse. My secret identity is his black driver.

When they pulled in by the side entrance of QC Applied Sciences, Oliver reached for the handle first and stepped smoothly out of the car. He extended his hand back into the car and felt Felicity's small hand as it was placed in in his. Oliver was so preoccupied in his own thoughts, he didn't notice when he absently drew small circles with his thumb on Felicity's hand, not letting it go even as she stood beside him.

Oliver watched Barry as he helped himself out of the car's other door and walked over to the trunk to help Diggle remove Barry's things. As the trunk door slammed shut, his gaze became trained on Oliver and Felicity's entwined hands. It drew Oliver's attention to his subconscious ministrations causing him to withdraw his hands from Felicity abruptly. Lately, his attention had been solely trained on Felicity. He was always protective, but between her mother's passing and the way Barry looked at Felicity, he felt his protective instinct go into overdrive.

"Felicity. Mr. Allen," he nodded to each of them, "I unfortunately have to be somewhere else at this moment, but I'll keep in touch." His words were laced with a subtle threat, which caused Barry to swallow rather loudly.

Before leaving he finally addressed Felicity, "I'll be back soon. Keep an eye on him."

Felicity's eyebrows drew together in confusion, but she didn't pursue the rant that Oliver knew was on the tip of her tongue. Felicity did something that was quite unlike the Felicity he knew; she responded with a simple 'okay'.

"I'm pretty sure he needs to be accompanied by an adult at all times when on the premise anyway."

He left Felicity standing there rolling her eyes.

Felicity interlaced her fingers and reached far above her head in order to work out the kinks that had formed in her shoulders and back. It had been a long first day back. After Oliver had left them at Applied Sciences Barry and Felicity had worked side by side throughout the day until they got their first lead. Luckily, Oliver had been there when the stolen truck came over the dispatch. He had then spent the rest of the evening chasing down the truck… unsuccessfully.

Despite her exhaustion, which threatened to lull her to sleep the thought of Barry, brought a smile to Felicity's face. She couldn't deny the attraction. Her heart buzzed when she thought of their stolen glances and accidental touches. He was intelligent, handsome, kind, and a little geeky, which, in Felicity's book, was his most attractive quality. She hadn't felt an attraction like this in a long time. There was Oliver, but she couldn't let herself go there. Oliver had a lot to work through, and even when he did, Felicity still wouldn't be the girl he went to. They had a common goal, to help Starling City, and to some extent they had friendship and an unspoken loyalty to each other, but that's where it all ended. It wasn't self-deprecation. It was merely a fact of life. Boys like Oliver didn't like girls like Felicity, not in that way at least. Barry was someone more Felicity's speed. It didn't take an IQ of 150 to see that Oliver was a shining star that blazed too bright and burned too hot, but Barry, Barry was the kind of boy you built a life with.

She swiveled in her chair and pushed of the desk, rolling over to the far table where her cardigan lay haphazardly on the floor next to it. She shrugged it on and wrapped it tight around her looking to form a barrier and the cold that had seeped into Verdant's basement. Moving back to her computers, she yawned and pulled up the trackers on Oliver and Diggle; they were almost back. Diggle would be arriving at any moment and Oliver was stuck at a set of lights a few minutes away.

The clock on her computer read 1:03 am and Felicity stifled a groan. The basement door swing open, but Felicity didn't turn to look at John. Her fingers flew across the screen as she pulled up all the data she and Barry had managed to compile throughout the day.

"Hey Dig," Felicity called out.

"How bad was it?" he asked.

"He's hurt, but he wouldn't give me a run down. He just did the grunting and groaning thing over the com and then when I asked him he turned it off …so!" she exclaimed before swiveling around in her seat, "Oliver has his grumpy face on tonight. Brace yourself."

"Winter is coming," Diggle finished her sentence for her. As if on cue, Oliver came barreling through the door bent at an awkward angle.

She peaked up at Diggle and flashed him her best 1 am smile before rushing over to Oliver to help him.

"How bad is it?" Diggle asked unable to make out any injuries passed minor scrapes and bruises, minor for Oliver anyway.

Oliver groaned in response.

Felicity mouthed the words "TOLD YOU" as Oliver's hand came around her shoulders and she took on some of his weight, leading him toward a chair.

Felicity rushed to grab an array of medical supplies out of the cabinets when she heard Oliver yell a string of expletives at Diggle. Felicity turned around at stared at them with large eyes.

"What did you do?" she whisper-yelled at Diggle.

"I think this bit may require a delicate touch," Diggle responded, his hand covering his face. If Felicity didn't know any better she would have thought that Diggle's eyes had taken on a mischievous glint.

Rushing back toward Oliver supplies in hand was a mistake as she nearly tripped at the sight of a shirtless Oliver.

"Oh god that looks terrible!" Felicity exclaimed as she laid the supplies on the table beside her and reached out to touch Oliver's side.

"I'm going to need to stabilize your ribs."

Felicity made quick work of disinfecting the scrapes and taping down Oliver side, but not before Oliver practically howled in pain and stared down at Felicity angrily. She shied away quickly under his gaze in a very un-Felicity-like manner.

After a few moments of silence Oliver shrugged on his sweater and began his story about a man named Ivo and his friend that had been injected with the Mirakuru. Felicity listened patiently, but was unable to keep her thoughts to herself when Oliver brought up 'Shado'. How many girls were marooned on this damn island?

As Oliver spoke Felicity programmed some over night searches based on the information Oliver had just divulged, her key strokes an angry staccato that pierced the quietness of the cave. No, Oliver Queen had a harem of women to choose from and Felicity was nowhere on his radar. Not that it should matter. No Felicity decided; it didn't matter to her at all.

Oliver's eyes flicked to his watch. It was nearly two in the morning. Diggle had left shortly after he had debriefed them about Mirakuru and what had happened to Slade on the island. Scanning the 'Arrow Cave' as Felicity affectionately called it, he assumed Felicity had gone home while he was in the shower.

He felt better now. He stood under the hot stream for nearly 30 minutes allowing the heat to relax his tense muscles. His body was 'on' all the time and his mind in overdrive with thoughts of Shado, Slade, Felicity, and Barry. The last one in particular still caused a reflexive fist-clench. He didn't trust the kid and was hoping Diggle would find something on him soon. He needed something on him. Felicity trusted him far too easily and Oliver knew that he would need proof. The girl had enough heartache to deal with and he wouldn't let Barry Allen be the cause of anymore.

Letting his towel drop he reached for his bag to grab a change of clothes. He let out a frustrated sigh when he realized he had forgotten to pack a t-shirt and grabbed his discarded blood stained one of the ground instead.

Years on the island had made Oliver hyper aware and always vigilant. So, when the air shifted around him, he noticed. He turned around to face the intruder, but recognition quickly dawned when his blue eyes made contact with Felicity's. For a moment, everything was still. He watched Felicity's eyes grow larger as her mouth slowly slid open to form an 'O'. He felt the cool air against every part of his body and could distinctly feel the heat emanating from Felicity.

Oliver would be lying if he hadn't imagined a situation in which at least one of them was naked, but he didn't quite imagine it under these circumstances. Those moments were completely out of his control; the thoughts came unbidden in his dreams, and sometimes during the decidedly worse times of their everyday life. He silently reprimanded himself for thinking it…every time. Felicity was his friend. His partner. He couldn't allow himself to think about her like that. She was too important to him and so, he had chalked up the embarrassingly frequent thoughts to a particularly bad dry spell. But in this moment, he felt his body begin to stir and react to her presence. Here. Now.

Felicity's gaze fell. It had only been a matter of time. Her eyes grew further, a bright flush over took her pale features, and her breath hitched as she struggled for words. Finally, after excruciatingly long moments Oliver felt himself stir into action using his t-shirt to cover parts that needed to be covered for an admittedly lame attempt at modesty.

The embarrassment slowly turned into anger (at what he wasn't quite sure). "Fe-li-ci-ty," he threatened, his jaw clenching causing the muscle near it to tick angrily.

"Oh, my, god. Oh, my god. Oliver. OH MY GOD. I…. Oh god," Felicity scrambled for words. She threw hand over her eyes and spun around with such force she nearly tripped.

With Felicity's back finally turned to him, Oliver slid quickly into his shirt and grabbed his track pants from his bag, throwing them on with unnecessary force. When he was done he reached out to tap her shoulder, but thought against it. He wasn't sure what touching her would do and he didn't want to risk it; his body was still reeling from the aftershocks of sudden desire and needed a moment.

"You can turn around now,"

"I don't think I can look at you," Felicity replied, her eyes still shut tightly.

"Felicity…"

"Oh god, I am so sorry. I thought you knew I was here!" Felicity exclaimed.

Oliver watched as she rushed over to her desk and attempted to empty the whole of the desk into her bag. The smile that formed on his lips couldn't be helped. Felicity was just to amusing when she was frantic.

"I was just… the searches… and …I'm leaving now…. Didn't see anything… I won't bring this up…such a small matter… oh god, you're not small… oh…you're not big… I mean you're adequate but… 3…2…1 we don't have to talk about this do we?!" Felicity let out in a rush, turning to face Oliver, her eyes still shut.

"Felicity, it's fine. No harm done."

"Okay, good. I'm just gonna grab my things and go home. It's been a long day," Felicity responded.

She was heading toward the door when she stopped and was jerked back. Oliver followed the source of the problem with his eyes and waited till understanding dawned on Felicity. She let out a strangled laugh as she unplugged her the charger from the tablet in her bag.

"Night Oliver."

"Goodnight Felicity."

As he watched her leave, he tried to think back to earlier that day when he was able to pretend for a brief moment that they were still the Oliver and Felicity they used to be in the beginning, but he couldn't. No, things would never be 'normal' between them again. Too much had happened. Good and bad. Sometimes Oliver could swear he heard the air crackle with unspoken potential between them, but he always shut it down. It's the way it had to be. She needed to be protected from the Hood's life and from Oliver Queen himself.

Still, the smile that Felicity always seemed to put on Oliver's face only disappeared when sleep claimed him into its depths that night.

Let me know what you think! This one took WAY TOO LONG to write. 1) because I suck 2) I needed a new surge of Olicity feels 3) Every time I want this story to go a certain direction it just doesn't seem to fit. So, I'm letting this one write itself. Where this story ends up is as much of a mystery to you as it is to me.

Sorry about the crappy editing. Anyone want to be my beta/my writing guru?

I love you all.

-tlh