Oliver stared at Roy and Sara sitting opposite him. His hand held over the button that would rock Slade and Isabel's world to hell.
They brought this on themselves attacking Felicity. Oliver thought of her goodness, but knew deep down she would be okay with it.
"Oliver."
He hit the button and the Applied Sciences building blew up behind the van.
Oliver breathed a sigh of relief.
They dump the van a few blocks away, but Oliver leaves a mask there, instead of the orange and black of Slade's, it is green and black, with a line of fuchsia running across one eye on the green side. The note on the back read:
No One Else.
Show your face to me you coward.
Show your true intentions.
Oliver paced back and forth back in the lair, Sara tapping anxiously behind him.
"Ollie you keep that up and I'll wind up hitting you with my bo staff."
He shook his head. "What's the news coverage?"
Diggle turned from the small laptop set up on the table. "It hasn't broke yet but I'm sure that it'll break soon."
Roy held up Tockman's key. "Nifty."
Sara walked over to him, plucking it from his hands. "Roy it's not a toy. We need to make sure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands."
"Well then here sucks, we've already been compromised once before."
Oliver turned to face Roy his heart pounding at the thought of what happened before.
Roy held his hands up, "I meant nothing against it, just we might not want to leave it here."
Oliver ran his hands through his hair. Roy had a point it was unsafe here. "Where do you suggest?"
Diggle sighed. "I have a terrible idea, but it might work."
Sara raised an eyebrow. "I'm all ears."
Oliver didn't like the look on Diggle's face. His heart clenched at a running thought.
He growled. "No." Not there, Never there.
Diggle crossed his arms. "No one would think to look there."
Sara gasped. Roy looked at them. "Where?"
Oliver's fists clenched.
"With Felicity."
Oliver stalked over to the bathroom, not wanting to hear any reasons behind the crazy idea. He could hear Dig, Roy and Sara arguing about the merits of bringing Felicity back into the fight, even if she wasn't conscious enough to do it.
Oliver gripped the sink, his hands red. Fighting thugs and trying to find the skeleton mask was going to kill him. As was destroying Isabel and Slade's business. He looked up into the mirror. A week had gone by since Felicity had been in the hospital. Three weeks since she had been first taken. A long month without Felicity, and now that she was back it felt as if hell was being unleashed.
A knock made him glance back at the door where Diggle stood. His arms crossed, he looked sad. Oliver looked down and started washing his hands.
"Look Oliver, I know that it isn't the best plan. But to hide it with her would be best. We're always there, as much as we can be. The hospital is well protected."
Oliver grabbed a towel and turned to Diggle. Looking at his brother-in-arms he thought about it. Nodding he tossed the towel back into the hamper. Running his hand over his face, Oliver sighed. "I understand Dig, I really do. I don't like it, but if it'll be safer there than here. I agree."
Digg nodded, and pat Oliver's shoulder. "Felicity will come back to us. Let's just hope she doesn't use her loud voice when she finds out what we've done."
Oliver chuckled.
Oliver stared at her. The bruises on her face had healed in the last two weeks. Her blonde hair still laid like a halo around her head. Doctors kept saying she showed promising results in her spinal swelling, but she was still in a coma. He sat back in the chair, recalling the doctor's talk with him a week or so ago.
"Shock Mr. Queen. That's all it is. Miss Smoak will wake when she is ready to." The doctor assured him. "Promising though that her spinal swelling is down so she might be able to regain use of her legs. We can show exercises that will help retain her muscles. I can teach you them, as well as anyone you consider fit to help her have a larger chance."
Oliver had nodded, and learned with Sara and Diggle the exercises that would help Felicity retain her muscles. They performed them at intervals through the day, besides reading to her. Sara and Thea would brush Felicity's hair, and help nurses bathe and dress her. Thea even bought a few new pairs of pjs for Felicity. Sara even bought her a pair, a light green tank top with dark green pants with arrows on them. Oliver glared at her when she showed them to him, laughing at him. So far Thea's pick of the fuschia V-neck t shirt with swirl patterned bottoms in black with pink, blue, orange, silver swirls was his favorite, since they were the ones on her at the moment, and today was raining, it brightened Oliver's mood.
Since they hid Tockman's device in Felicity's room at the hospital Oliver felt on edge. When he was chased out of here to go on patrol he hated it. He always had a comm linked to someone at the hospital, and if no one was there, Oliver would run by the hospital to check in Felicity's window. His thoughts always revolved around Felicity and bringing down Slade. He wanted to rebuild his relationship with Thea, but it was rough since she blamed him for Roy's actions.
Felicity just heal. Let us deal with out here, but please for my own selfish reasons, wake up. Taking her hand he started rubbing the knuckles again.
Everyone tried their best to help Felicity. Diggle updated her on all the newest developments in the tech field, Sara told her about the places she had been, leaving out what she had done while there. Oliver held her hand, and would read to Felicity, picking books from her house at random. Roy mostly stood outside and guarded the door, and when he wold come in, it was briefly and usually to just chat with the others or to avoid Thea, who still wanted to talk to him.
Thea and Walter would come by, Moira occasionally. Thea ensured that Felicity was comfortable, and the flowers were fresh usually ignoring Oliver, and staring at Roy. Moira didn't come because she and Felicity hadn't gotten along and the anger from her two children was overwhelming. Walter stopped by, bringing flowers and ensuring Oliver he was doing his best to get Queen consolidated back to him. He had managed to save both Thea's and Oliver's trust funds, but Oliver wanted to right his wrong, and Walter admired that he wanted to do that.
Isabel's angry voice had penetrated the news, talking about the villains who attacked Queen consolidated on Starling's mid-morning talk show.
Roy scoffed, "Like she really cares. She's just mad that there isn't any more mirakiru to turn anyone."
Diggle looked up from the newspaper he was reading, watching the tv as Isabel tried vainly to assure shareholders that these attacks were just malfunctions at the sites, or in some cases, surprise demolitions of old buildings. Roy rolled his eyes at that comment.
Oliver sighed placing Felicity's hand back on the bed and leaning forward. "She's just upset that Sara and you placed all those bombs in the buildings after knocking the people out."
Roy smiled, shifting in the recliner that he was occupying. "Yeah, not easy but seeing her seethed in rage is worth it."
Oliver cracked a small smile, satisfied that his team was setting Isabel's tail on fire, no doubt angering Slade as well.
"Lucky Sara got the morning off. She's asleep, and then has lunch with Laurel who she reports is getting closer to figuring out your secret."
Oliver sighed. Another problem Slade caused, but he was letting Sara deal in damage, even getting Dig to dress up as Arrow when Laurel was here with Officer Lance to see Oliver with Felicity, and the Arrow on the roof across the building outside.
"Yeah one of these days I want to hit Isabel with a van. No one deserves it more than her," Diggle mumbled before going back to reading snapping Oliver back to the moment.
Oliver stared at the screen, tired of Isabel's rants on tv. He glared at the tv, and watched as Isabel chatted with the bubbly talk show host. But Isabel didn't smile.
She probably doesn't even know how to genuinely smile.
"Could someone change that before he arrows it please?"
Oliver whirled his head back to the bed where sapphire eyes stared up at him.
"Your face says it all. Lucky I can see it from here. Where am I anyway, I lost my HD!"
Diggle laughed, tossing his paper aside, and brushed a quick kiss across Felicity's cheek.
"Missed you Felicity."
She smiled. "Missed you too John. How much did I miss?" Her eyes looked around the room trying to see where she was.
Oliver stared dumbfounded at her, he heard Roy calling and telling Sara Felicity was awake.
"My HD please?" Felicity stared up at him, smiling brightly.
Oliver kept staring into the pools of blue. Loving, bright and alive, Oliver didn't want to wait anymore.
He bent down and kissed Felicity with his whole heart, blocking out everything around them. He felt her confusion, then felt her melt into the kiss, her own love sweetening it.
As he pulled away, he looked down and saw her flushed cheeks and pink lips.
As she opened her eyes and love shining as she stared up at him he smiled, finally feeling lighter than he had in weeks.
"So, I missed a lot huh?" she whispered.
Oliver smiled, and pressed a lighter kiss to her lips.
"You have no idea."
Felicity smiled. "I guess I better catch up then. By the way did you bring my tablet?"
Diggle laughed and Oliver looked over at him smiling when seeing the glasses and tablet in hand. Felicity looked over and squinting tried to sit up. Oliver gently settled Felicity back. "You need to be careful Felicity."
She huffed. "I've been asleep for so long I want up damn it Oliver." He smiled, and pressed the button raising up the top of the bed. She huffed at him and he smiled. Same Felicity, sweet but strong to the core. Oliver fluffed her pillow, and brushed another kiss on her head, closing his eyes for a moment.
"So, who raided the florist shop?" Oliver chuckled.
Roy shuffled at the door and they all turned to look at him. "I'll get the doctor. Glad to see you're awake Barbie." He walked out the door, the red hoodie disappearing down the hall.
Oliver huffed, but felt Felicity grab his hand and squeeze gently.
He looked back at her and saw her glasses were on, tablet in hand.
Looking more like herself.
"He's just like you Oliver, not good with words." She squeezed his hand again, and he raised it to his lips, brushing a kiss across the knuckles. Diggle mumbled about boundaries but kept smiling.
Felicity blushed and powered up her tablet.
"So what's the story before the doctor gets here. I need to catch up."